


Our Pandemic World

by LunaTheAwesomeJordan



Series: Our Pandemic World [1]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance, Survival Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 11:43:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 86,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7506982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaTheAwesomeJordan/pseuds/LunaTheAwesomeJordan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow Joel as he tries his damn hardest to survive the horrifying pandemic world alongside his youngest daughter (Daniella), an immune teen (Ellie), and his daughter's love interest (Nathan) while they travel across the United States to get to the Fireflies in order to return peace to their world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Janice Kawaye (voice of Yuzu of Bleach; also, I think I spelled the last name correctly DX) voiced Younger Daniella.
> 
> This story will contain a lot of stealth and a lot of zombie combat (some stealthy and some not). I am going to complete this fanfic and will not stop like last time (trust me, this is much better than my previous attempt). :3 This story will also have the normal typos and errors in it (cause who doesn't have an typo/error or two?).

        It was late at night in Austin, Texas. Inside one of many homes, a clock ticked as a young twelve-year-old girl with short, highlighted blonde hair wearing purple-checkered pajama pants and a grey t-shirt over a darker-grey longer sleeved top shifted restlessly on a leather couch in a sideways-laying position. Around her neck was a wooden cross necklace that hung beautifully from her neck as her shifting stopped. The young girl was named Sarah.

        On the floor, leaning against the couch was a seven-year-old girl with really short, dark sandy blonde hair. She rubbed her light hazel eyes as she yawned. She wore bunny pajama pants and a white, short sleeved shirt covered in kittens. Unlike her older sister that was barefoot, upon her feet were pink, fluffy slippers that perfectly fit her. The younger girl was named Daniella.

        The front door of their home opened roughly as their father, Joel, walked into the house, wearing a green t-shirt, blue jeans, and dark shoes. He closed the door behind him, shutting it not as roughly as he had opened it. In his left hand was his cellphone and he had it held up to his left ear. He spoke a bit loudly. "Tommy. Tommy, listen to me. He is the contractor." His tone dialed down a bit, becoming a bit more quieter. "He's the contractor, okay? I can't lose this job." He paused his talking, listening to what his younger brother had to say to him. "I-I understand. Let's talk about this in the morning, okay?" He walked towards the couch and turned on the lamp, awakening his slumbering eldest daughter and causing his youngest daughter to finally look in his direction. "We'll talk about it in the morning. Goodnight." He hung up his cellphone and placed it onto the coffee table in front of the couch.

        "Hey," Sarah greeted sleepily as she slowly shifted into an upward position on the couch. Her blue eyes gazed at her father.

        Daniella cheered drowsily. "Yay! Daddy's back home!" She yawned once again shortly afterwards.

        "Scoot," Joel instructed Sarah. She moved over, leaving space for her father to sit down. Joel rubbed his face with his right hand as his bum hit the couch cushions before he placed his right arm on one of the leathery couch arms. His hazel eyes were locked on the television that wasn't in use.

        Sarah turned her head towards her father fully as her younger sister slowly stood up from the floor near their feet. "Fun day at work, huh?" She had her feet up on the couch, sitting in a knees-up position.

        Daniella stared at her father, standing somewhat directly in front of Sarah. "Are you okay, Daddy?"

        Joel sighed as he lifted his right hand to his face, slightly touching his black, short hair and nearly touching his well-grown mustache and beard. He was quite frustrated and exhausted. "Why are you two still up?" he asked his daughters. "It's late."

        Daniella did not speak and only continued to stare at him while Sarah responded in a panicked tone. "Oh crud. What time is it?" She quickly rotated her body to take a look at the clock hanging on the wall behind the couch.

        "It's way past your bedtime," Joel stated. "You both should be in bed."

        "But it's still today," Sarah concurred happily as she twisted back to her original posture. She looked at Daniella. "Dani, could you please get the box from under the couch?" she asked politely.

        Daniella smiled sleepily. "Okay!" She dropped to her knees quickly, but gently, and she reached under the couch, grabbing a small white box.

        "Honey, please not right now," Joel protested. "I do not have the energy for this."

        Daniella stood up from the floor, the little white box in her hands. She had the same cute, sleepy smile on her face as she handed her big sister the box. In turn, Sarah handed the box to their father. "Here," she said.

        "What's this?" Joel asked as he gently took the gift from Sarah and eyed it.

        She gave him a simple answer. "Your birthday."

        "It's da best present, Daddy!" Daniella cheered as she clapped happily. Sarah looked away from her father, smiling at Daniella as she continued clapping. Despite being in a kind of negative mood, Joel smiled at Daniella as well after moving his gaze from the gift towards her.

        Joel looked back at the small white box and removed its lid. Within the box was a dark, fancy-looking watch. He pulled it out. "You kept complaining about your broken watch," Sarah explained as her father placed the watch on his left wrist. "So, I figured, you know. You like it?" She waited for her father's reaction, beaming.

        "Honey, this is..." Joel held his left hand up to his ear after tinkering with it.

        "What?" Sarah's beaming, happy face dropped, a worried one appearing.

        Joel moved his left wrist from his ear and tapped on the watch. "It's nice but I-I think it's stuck. It's not-"

        Sarah panicked. "What? No, no, no, no." She moved closer to her father and gripped his left wrist, examining the watch herself. Seeing that it was functioning, she gave her father a look. "Oh, ha ha," she remarked sarcastically. She laid down on the couch, laying on her side with her bare feet almost against Joel's left leg.

        Daniella was giggling. "Daddy tricked chu!" She yawned yet another time seconds later. "Dani goin' to bed now." Without another word, she headed towards the staircase. Although it was very odd, Daniella tended to refer to herself in third person, especially whenever she was really sleepy.

        "Goodnight, baby girl," Joel told Daniella as she walked away. She didn't hear him, heading up the stairs and to the bedroom she shared with Sarah. Joel looked at his new watch and then at Sarah. "Where did you get the money for this?"

        "Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs," Sarah stated sarcastically, her Texan accent showing as she spoke to her father.

        "Oh, good. You can start helping out with the mortgage then," Joel playfully replied. He leaned forward to take the television remote off the coffee table. He proceeded to turn the television on as he leaned back against the couch.

        "Stsh. Yeah, you wish," Sarah remarked. She stared at the television as her father flipped through the channels. She slowly drifted back to sleep. She was fully asleep by the time her father noticed.

        Joel stood up and went to stand in front of her. He leaned over, supporting her shoulders and back of her knees with his hands as he picked her up and carried her sleeping form up the stairs to her bedroom. He laid her down beside Daniella, whom was sleeping as well, and he gently kissed both of their foreheads. "Goodnight, my baby girls," he whispered before he left their bedroom, letting them continue to sleep.

        Daniella and Sarah slept peacefully until the phone on the thin, wooden table beside the bed began to rang around two o'clock in the morning. Sarah yawned and reached for the phone as Daniella sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes. Sarah answered the phone. "Hello?" she asked sleepily.

        "Sarah, honey. I need you to get your daddy on the phone." It was their Uncle Tommy. He had spoken calmly, but there was a hint of urgency in his tone.

        Sarah was confused. "Uncle Tommy, what time is it?" Daniella looked at her, tilting her head.

        Tommy spoke calmly. "I need to talk to your dad now." His voice suddenly raised, much louder than before. "There's some-" His sudden frantic plea was cut off, the connection lost.

        "Uncle Tommy? Hello?" Sarah rose up in her bed, ending the disconnected call. She placed the phone back where it belonged. "What was that all about?" she whispered to herself.

        "What Uncle Tom-Tom say?" Daniella asked, still staring at Sarah.

        "He wanted to speak with Dad," she answered as she stood up. She let out a yawn before she spoke again. "I'm going to go find him."

        Daniella quickly got off the bed, having quite a bit of energy despite having only just woken. "Dani go with you. Dani help." She walked to their bedroom door, grabbing the doorknob and turning it before pulling the door open.

        Sarah followed Daniella out of the bedroom. They walked down the hallway and ahead of them was a door that lead to the bathroom. They continued towards it, but took a right at the corner, heading down the hallway even more and, after walking by the staircase, they headed straight to their father's room located on their right and at the end of the hall. The door was cracked open, light shining from it. Daniella pushed the door and walked in with Sarah close behind her. They walked towards the television and stood in front of it as the newswoman spoke.

        "It appears that what we initially reported as riots seem to be somehow connected to the nationwide pandemic." The newswoman was standing in front of a burning building, police officers standing behind her some ways back. She continued speaking to the camera, microphone in hand. "We've received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show signs of increased aggression and-"

        Behind the woman was another officer. He had ran over to his unit. "We need to move everybody out of here now. There's a gas leak." He looked towards the newswoman and her cameraman as his unit ran to proceed with moving pedestrians away. "Hey, lady, get the hell outta here right-" A loud explosion sounded, the news fed on the television turning to static as the newswoman shielded her face from what appeared to be more fire, perhaps from the burning building.

        "S-Sarah..." Daniella whined. She held onto Sarah's left hand. "W-Where's Daddy?"

        "I-I don't know," Sarah replied. "But we'll find him."

        "A-Are those people okay?" Daniella asked, looking at Sarah.

        Sarah opened her mouth, preparing to answer her younger sister when her gaze went to the window, spotting smoke in the distance. "What is that...?" Daniella blinked and turned, looking at the window as her hand dropped from Sarah's. Another explosion occurred, located not too far from where the first explosion had happened, large red flames visible for mere seconds before more smoke became visible out the window.

        "Dad?!" Sarah yelled in a panicked tone. This was the first time she ever witnessed something so horrible.

        Daniella began to sob. "D-Dani scared, Sarah..."

        Sarah faced her and kneeled down lightly before her, getting to Daniella's level. "Shh, don't cry. We'll find Dad and everything will be okay." She wrapped her arms around Daniella, giving her a short, but loving, hug. Sarah slowly pulled away, lightly connecting her left hand with Daniella's right hand, and lead her out of their father's bedroom.

        The two carefully headed down the staircase and into the living room. A few police cars sped past the house, sirens going off wildly. The sisters headed across the living room, heading towards the dining area as a dog barked loudly outside. Their father was nowhere in sight.

        "Where is he?" Sarah asked out loud. A cellphone began to vibrate on a kitchen counter shortly after Sarah had spoken.

        Daniella sniffled, still crying a tad, and exclaimed. "P-Phone!"

        Sarah lightly pulled Daniella along with her as she headed to the phone. She picked it up, recognizing it as their father's phone. "8 missed calls?" She looked through the texts showing on the screen, all three from Tommy. "Where the hell are you? Call me. On my way."

        "I want Daddy!" Daniella cried out, her tears flowing down her cheeks as she started to cry once more.

        "W-We'll find him," Sarah reassured her. She looked towards their father's office. She began to lead Daniella there and let out a light shriek when the barking dog suddenly whimpered before going silent. She continued towards their father's office and pushed the lightly cracked doors open. As they stepped into the office, Joel ran inside of the house, closing the sliding door behind him. Sarah sighed in relief. "There you are."

        Joel looked at them. He was struggling to catch his breath, speaking to his daughters in mere pants. "Sarah, Daniella. Are you okay?"

        "Yeah," Sarah answered. "We heard explosions and it scared Dani." Daniella hugged Sarah's left arm, sniffling as her tears were slowly stopping again. With her dad being around, she wasn't as scared.

        "Did anyone come in the house?" Joel asked frantically. He went to his desk and looked through the drawers, finding a box and pulling it out of the drawer.

        "No. Who would come in here?" Sarah was confused and scared. Daniella remained mostly quiet, still sniffling as she hugged Sarah's arm tighter.

        "Don't go near the doors. Just..." Joel opened up the box after placing it on the desk. He took the revolver out of the box and began filling it with bullets. "Both of you stand back there."

        "Dad, you're kinda freaking me out," Sarah informed him.

        "Dani is freaked out too..." Daniella mumbled. Tears began to form in her eyes as she was close to crying a third time.

        "It's the Coopers. Somethin' ain't right with 'em. I think they're sick," Joel told his daughters.

        Daniella tilted her head, confusion replacing her fear. "Sick?" At the age she was, she wouldn't be able to completely understand the situation they were in.

        "What kind of sick?" Sarah asked. As if on cue, a man ran straight into the sliding door. Sarah and Daniella let out a small scream, turning towards the sliding door while Joel jumped from being startled, he, too, faced the sliding door. The man was Jimmy Cooper, a neighbor of theirs. He had blood on his face, some even coming out of his eyes.

        "Jimmy!" Joel yelled in a warning voice. He backed up, moving towards his daughters with his eyes still on Jimmy.

        "Dad?" Sarah was once again scared, frightened by what was going on so suddenly. Daniella shook like a leaf, just as frightened. Joel stood in front of them protectively as Jimmy ran into the sliding door again and again.

        "Jimmy," Joel started. Jimmy broke through the glass, causing the girls to scream, and he landed on the floor. "Jimmy, just stay back. Jimmy, I am warning you."

        "Oh my god..." Sarah said.

        Jimmy stood up quickly and ran towards the small family. "Don't!" Joel yelled, shooting Jimmy in the head to protect himself and his daughters. Jimmy fell to the ground, no longer moving. Joel pushed the girls towards the living room. "Go. Go."

        "D- Daddy..." Daniella mumbled tearfully as soon as they were by the kitchen counters.

        "Y- You shot him," Sarah stuttered, a bit in shock over witnessing the death of their neighbor.

        "Listen to me. There is something bad going on," Joel told them as he turned towards them. "We gotta get out of here. Do you understand me?"

        Sarah nodded. "Yeah."

        "O-Okay, D-Daddy..." Daniella stuttered out, sniffling again.

        Joel heard a car pulling up in their driveway. "Tommy." He grabbed Daniella's right hand and Sarah's left hand. "C'mon." He lead them to the front door. As soon as Joel got the door open and re-held Daniella's hand, Tommy was already out of his car and walking around it.

        "Where the hell you been? You have any idea what's goin' on out there?" Tommy questioned Joel.  Tommy was not as large as his older brother and did not have as much facial hair. His hair was dirty blonde and somewhat short. He was wearing a red shirt, a pair of jeans, and some shoes.

        "I got some notion," Joel told him. He lead his daughters to the car and opened the backseat door for them. Daniella climbed in first, moving to the farthest seat and Sarah climbed in afterwards. "Sarah, help Daniella with her seat-belt," Joel instructed as he closed the door. Sarah proceeded in doing so.

        "Holy shit. You got blood all over you," Tommy said to Joel as he looked him over.

        "It ain't mine," Joel stated. "Let's just get outta here." He opened the passenger door as Tommy headed back to the driver's seat. They both got into the car, closing the door behind themselves. Neither of them proceeded in putting on a seat-belt. Nor did Sarah.  
  
        As Tommy back out of the driveway, he looked at Sarah and Daniella. "Hey, girls. How ya'll holding up?"  
  
        Daniella rubbed her cheeks, ridding them of leftover tears and wiped her nose. "Dani is okay now."

  
        "I'm fine. Can we hear what's on the radio?" Sarah asked.

        "Yeah, sure thing," Tommy stated. He looked forward as he began to drive away from the house. He started the radio up and turned the dial, attempting to find a working channel, but there was only static. "No cellphone. No radio. Yeah, we're doin' great. Minute ago, newsman wouldn't shut up."

        "They say where to go?" Joel asked him. Daniella and Sarah looked out the car window, listening in to what their father and uncle were saying.

        Tommy thought for a moment. "He said, ah..., army's puttin' up roadblocks on the highway. No gettin' into Travis County." He drove down the road.

        "That means we need to get the hell out. Take 71," Joel said.

        "71, that's where I'm headed," Tommy said, taking a right after a few police cars flew by, heading the opposite way of where they were going.

        "Did they say how many are dead?" Sarah asked. Daniella covered her ears, trying to block out what they were saying. She didn't want to hear anymore.

        "Probably a lot," Tommy answered. "Found this one family all mangled inside their house." He kept his eyes on the road to avoid causing a car accident.

        "Tommy," Joel said. He didn't want Tommy talking about that in front of his daughters.

        "Right," Tommy said, no longer talking about it. "Sorry," he apologized.

        "How did this happen?" Joel asked as Tommy drove left, passing a car that had crashed.  How could everything go from alright to horrible so quickly?

        "They got no clue," Tommy told him. "But we ain't the only town. At first they were saying it was just the South. Now they're on about the East Coast, the West Coast..." As he drove down the dirt road, the car went by a farmhouse that was on fire. "Holy hell," Tommy cursed as he glanced at the burning farmhouse. "That's Louis' farm. Hope he made it out." Sarah and Joel looked at it, too, but Daniella kept her eyes elsewhere and stayed quiet, hands still over her ears.  
  
        "I'm sure he did," Joel stated.

        "Are we sick?" Sarah asked curiously.

        "No, uh, they said it's just, ah, people in the city. We're good," Tommy told her as he drove right once again, no longer on the dirt road.

        "Didn't Jimmy work in the city?" Sarah asked, wanting to be sure.

        "That's right, he did," Joel told her.

        As Tommy drove down the new road, he spotted a family of three walking the way they were heading. "Let's see what they need."

        "What the hell do you think you're doin'? Keep drivin'." Joel completely disagreed in helping the people. He needed to worry about his family and himself, no one else.

        "They got a kid, Joel," Tommy protested as he slowed down, almost near the family.

        "We have two," Joel remarked.

        "But we have room," Sarah said. She wanted to help the people just as much as Tommy did.

        "Keep drivin', Tommy," Joel demanded. Tommy, though he did not want to do so, drove by the family at the normal speed limit as the man from the family tried to get them to stop. "You ain't seen what I seen. Someone else'll come along," Joel continued.

        "We shoulda helped them," Sarah whispered.

        "...That was mean," Daniella commented quietly. She silently had witnessed everything, facing the back of Tommy's seat. "Daddy, we are suppose to help people because we are good..." Joel didn't respond to her, but he did feel a bit guilty.

        They finally made it into the city but Tommy stopped the car behind another, a very bad traffic jam ahead of them. "Oh, this is bad. Everyone and their mother had the same damn idea," Tommy said.

        Joel tried to suggest something. "Well, we could just backtrack and-" A man from the car in front of them got out, complaining about the traffic jam. Out of nowhere, two beings ran at the man; one attacking the man while the other entered the car and attacked whomever was in the passenger's seat.

        "Tommy!" Joel shook Tommy's arm, pulling him out of his short state of shock.

        "Holy shit." Tommy immediately backed the car up as the being attacking the man ran at the car and Tommy drove down a different road. Tommy took a left, only to be blocked by a lot of people. There was a big enough gap between the buildings and a RV blocking most of the road for the car to fit through, but Tommy drove slowly, trying his damn best to keep from running someone over. As soon as everyone had ran by, Tommy immediately drove through the gap, only for a truck to crash into the car's left side. The car flipped over, landing on its side and causing Joel to blackout for just a moment. When he reopened his eyes, he spotted one of the crazy beings tearing someone apart in the truck across from them.

        "Owwie," Daniella whimpered, rubbing the back of her head. She was hanging from her seat-belt, the side of the car that she was located at facing upward.

        Sarah got up, sitting against the broken windshield of her side of the car. She looked up at Daniella and reached up. "Unlock the seat-beat, Dani. I'll catch you."

        Daniella gulped, but nodded. "O-Okay." She unbuckled her seat-belt and fell on top of Sarah roughly. Sarah winced a little. "S-Sowwy."

        "Don't worry," Sarah told her. "I'm okay." Daniella got off of Sarah and Sarah sat up again, leaning towards the passenger's seat to shake Joel's shoulder. "Dad."

        "Stay back," he stated. He kicked the cracked windshield three times, breaking it. He climbed out, almost immediately getting attacked by one of the crazy beings as many terrified people ran by. He was able to hold it at bay and Tommy, who was out of the car, hit the crazy being with a brick. Joel stared at him for a second before helping his daughters out of the car. Daniella stood beside her father, but Sarah didn't move very far, wincing as she tried standing on one of her legs and discovering that she was hurt more than she had thought. "What's wrong?"

        "My leg hurts," Sarah explained.

        "How bad?" Joel questioned.

        "Pretty bad," she answered.

        "I'm so sowwy," Daniella apologized, frowning as she started to cry a little. "I cause it..."

        "No." Sarah shook her head as she looked at Daniella. "No, no, no. The crash did this, not you." She didn't want her little sister thinking it was her fault that her leg was hurting badly.

        "We're gonna need to run," Tommy commented, spotting crazy beings heading their way.

        "I can't carry them both," Joel told him, worry in his tone.

        Daniella sniffled. "Dani can run fast! Daddy carry only Sarah!"

        "Stay by me," Joel told Daniella. Daniella nodded, sniffling some more. Joel picked up Sarah, but not before giving Tommy his revolver. "Keep us safe."  
  
        The four of them began to run down the street, following many screaming people as crazy beings chased them and pinned down some of the scared running people. They ran towards the gas station, but it exploded once a car ran into the gas machines. They ran right, running down the street with everyone else that had managed to survive so far. They passed a burning building similar to the one that had been shown on the television, maybe was the same exact building, and they ran pass a truck that was in the middle of the road. They headed towards a theater, but it suddenly exploded.

        Tommy, Joel, and Daniella were very much out of breath, but continue to run for their lives. They cut through a nearby alleyway. Joel was attacked by a crazy being that was around the corner but Tommy knocked him off and shot him dead. They ran around the alleyway, heading in opposite directions of where the crazy beings were appearing. They ran until they got to a pub, barely getting inside before some of the crazy beings grabbed onto them. They, however, attempted entering the pub as well, causing Tommy to lean against the door to keep them out.

        "Go! I can outrun them! You got Sarah and Daniella!" Tommy yelled.

        "Uncle Tom-Tom..." Daniella's lips trembled as more tears went down her face; she hadn't stopped crying since she learned her sister's leg was hurt.

        "Tommy..." Joel said. "I will meet you there." Joel ran out the door with Sarah but Daniella did not follow; instead, she hid under the counter inside of the pub. Joel didn't notice Daniella was not following him and he ran, crazy beings chasing after him. Joel carried Sarah up the hill, running slower due to being out of breath. Right before the two crazy beings could lay their hands on either of them, they were eliminated by a military guy.  
  
        "It's okay. We're safe," Joel told Sarah. He still didn't know Daniella wasn't behind him. Joel walked towards the military guy. "We need help!"  
  
        "It's okay. We're safe," Joel told Sarah. He still didn't know Daniella wasn't behind him. Joel walked towards the military man. "We need help!" He paused his walking when the military man pointed his assault rifle at them. "We are not sick," Joel stated, not wanting the man to kill them. "Listen buddy, we just went through hell," Joel told him. "My daughter's leg may even be broken."

        The military man talked into his walkie talkie on his shoulder. "Got a couple of civilians in the outer perimeter. Please advise..." He stayed silent as he listened to the person speaking to him. "Sir, there's a little girl..." He was very hesitate. "But..."

        "Please..." Joel said. The military man pointed his assault rifle at them, choosing to follow the orders. "Oh, shit," Joel said, turning to try and shield Sarah. The military man started to open fire, shooting at the two of them. Joel dropped Sarah and they both rolled down the hill a tad bit. Joel laid on his back, a hand on the gunshot wound to his right side. The military man ran over to Joel, prepared to shoot and kill him. "Please don't," Joel whispered. Before the man could kill Joel, he was shot in the head suddenly and dropped dead on the ground. Joel watched as Tommy and Daniella walked up, Tommy having the revolver pointed at the military man just encase he wasn't dead. "D- Daniella?" Joel stared at her.

        "She hid in the pub instead of following you," Tommy revealed. He looked towards Sarah. "Oh no..."

        "Sarah!" Joel crawled over to Sarah as quickly as he could. She had been shot in the stomach, her hands over the wound as she whimpered and cried from the pain. Joel put pressure on the wound, causing Sarah to whimper and cry out louder. "I know it hurts, baby. You're gonna be okay, baby. Stay with me." He tried to pick her up, but it just caused her even more pain.

        Daniella started crying a lot more than she had the previous times and Tommy put the revolver away, quickly picking her up. "Don't look, Dani... Don't look," he whispered. Daniella hide her face in his shoulder as she cried.

        "I know it hurts," Joel told Sarah as he continued to try and pick her up, wanting desperately to get her some help. His attempts were futile. Sarah stopped whimpering and crying, going completely silent as she passed away from rapid blood loss. "No..." Joel held onto Sarah. "Sarah! Don't do this to me. Come on..." Joel began to cry as he held Sarah close to him. "Please, please don't do this..."

        Joel sat there holding the deceased Sarah for a while, Tommy watching as he continued to hold onto the still sobbing Daniella. Just like that, Sarah was gone... The only good thing about it was that she wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of any crazy beings...or any insane humans in the new world...


	2. Twenty Years Later!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twenty years have gone by. Life has forever changed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michelle Ruff (voice of Rukia from Bleach) voices Older Daniella and Yuri Lowenthal (voice of Shinra from Durarara; also did voice overs in Last of Us oOo; also, again, I think I spelled the last name correctly) voices Nathan.

        Twenty years have gone by since the world went from good to chaotic. What was first know just as crazy people attacking others became known as a horrible pandemic called the zombie apocalypse. However, no one called the former humans by that (zombies); instead, everyone referred to them as the infected. Everyone's lives had been ruined, many dying and many surviving within quarantine zones ruled by the military who could care less about anyone but themselves. Those within the zone either tried to leave or tried to rebuild what they lost; most not succeeding in doing so while others were able to have a somewhat normal life.

        It was bright outside. Buildings that were located outside the zone were greatly ruined, although the ones within the zone weren't any better off. Residents of the zone were walking around, working and chatting to friends. Two dirty, but attractive, women were walking behind some buildings of a district: the West End District.

        "Thank you, Dani, for coming with me," Tess commented in thanks. Her brown hair was worn half-up with a headband, or a bandanna, tied around the middle, she had straight eyebrows, and wore simple, practical clothing. Her face was purely thin and angular, but a little harsh, with few scars that were located on the right side of her forehead, across her nose, and on her right cheek. Her figure was quite slim, her dark brown eyes locked on the path before her.

        "It was no problem," Daniella answered. Her once really short, dark sandy blonde hair was much longer, just two inches away from being to the middle of her back; she definitely would have to find some scissors or use a shiv to cut her hair. Her once light hazel eyes were a tad darker, still as beautiful as they were when she was younger. Her figure was as slim as Tess's and there were no scars located on her face, leaving her face completely flawless; though, scars could be located elsewhere on her body. She wore a light blue, very messy dress shirt with dark blue jeans and dark torn shoes. "Dad's probably gonna be mad when I get back to the room. If he is awake by then, anyways," she continued.

        "I don't doubt you. He is a hot-headed man. You, on the other hand, are the opposite. You stay calm and cool-headed," Tess stated with full honesty in her tone.

        "Not all the time," Daniella replied. As they walked down an alleyway slowly, Daniella admired the grass and flowers, minus the weeds that were located around the flowers. "I kind of like how mother nature took over. It's beautiful."

        "I guess so," Tess responded. "I never cared too much about nature."

        "Mmm," Daniella hummed.

        As they finally reached the end of the alleyway, a fist suddenly came out of the left corner of the brick house's wall, connecting to Tess's right cheek. She stumbled back but Daniella reached her arms out towards her friend, steadying her once her arms and hands connected with Tess's body. The two friends watched as a brawny man and a scrawny man came around the corner, standing in front of them to block them from moving any further.

        "Robert's men," Daniella commented lowly. She kept her eyes on them, cautious. She wasn't sure as to why they were there or why they wanted to resort to violence, but she'd find out soon enough and she had a feeling that she would not like the reason why.

        Tess rubbed her right cheek, feeling a small cut. "You certainly have a way with greeting a woman."

        "Shut up." The brawny goon took two steps closer to the women, the scrawny one following suit. "Robert's done with the two of you."

        "Excuse me?" Tess questioned.

        "What do you mean by that?" Daniella asked. A strapping young man walked from the corner, appearing to be somewhat buff and tall. His hair was dark caramel brown, short, and very messy. His eyes were a light honey brown and narrowed. He looked quite handsome with his tanned, mostly flawless complexion; his face had a scar located on his left cheekbone. His clothing was dark like the ones his fellow goons were wearing, but with a dark colored vest over his dark t-shirt and his jeans were much more worn out than theirs. He didn't seem to see the faces of the women until he walked up to his two goon-ish friends, his eyes widening as he saw Tess and Daniella. "Nathan?" Daniella questioned, her own eyes widening.

        "Daniella? Tess? What...?" Nathan was confused for only mere seconds before rage filled his very being. Standing to the left of both his friends, he turned to them. "We are not killing them," he stated sternly.

        The scrawny goon looked at Nathan. "You aren't our boss. If you don't want to be a man, then step aside and let us do all the dirty work." He pulled out a revolver. "And encase you get any funny ideas-" He pointed the revolver at Nathan. "-I'm keeping this gun trained on you."

        Nathan glared at him. He watched as the brawny goon approached his friends from the corner of his left eye. "Fine. I'll be a man. Now, get the fucking gun outta my face."

        The scrawny man smirked and lowered his gun. "Good."

        As soon as the gun wasn't trained on his face, Nathan reacted quickly. He launched himself at the scrawny goon and quickly twisted the goon's hand, making him drop the gun. Then, he spun the goon around so that his face was towards the weedy brick wall and began slamming his face into it. As he did all of that, Daniella and Tess were dealing with the brawny goon; the moron hadn't thought about the women double-teaming him before he could lay a hand of them and he was easily taken down by the both of them.

        Nathan let go of the motionless scrawny goon and let his corpse hit the ground with a thud, blood staining the ground. He looked at Daniella and Tess as the brawny goon's corpse hit the ground with a thud as well. "Good job," he praised them, giving them a thumbs-up. Daniella strode straight to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she gave him a hug. Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist, returning the hug. "I swear that I didn't know it was the two of you until I saw you. If I had known beforehand, I wouldn't have came along."

        Daniella pulled out of the hug lightly, her arms still around his neck and her face rather close to his own. "I believe you, Nathan. You don't have to explain." She smiled at him. "Thank you for dealing with the other douche."

        "You're welcome. Although, I'm sure you and Tess could've easily kicked his ass," Nathan stated before smiling back at Daniella.

        Daniella let out a small giggle. "Oh, I'm sure we would've done worse than what you did."

        Tess watched the two of them, smiling a little. "Should I give you two some privacy?" Daniella and Nathan pulled out of their hug completely, both blushing quite a bit as they both turned towards Tess. Tess laughed at their embarrassment. "Come on. We need to get Joel."

        Nathan's blush vanished and he smirked. "Let me guess. The four of us are going to go after my boss?"

        "Bingo," Tess responded.

        Daniella nodded, liking the idea. "Yeah, that sounds like a very..." She paused for a moment, thinking of the correct word to use. "...magnificent idea." She crossed her arms. "That bastard shouldn't have ordered a hit on us after all we've done for him and his crew." Her smile became a smirk. "Let's get going." She looked at Nathan. "The sooner we get my father, the faster you get to tell Robert that you quit~" Nathan chuckled as the three of them headed to the ruined apartment building to get Joel...

* * *

        Joel let out a loud gasp as he sat up in his untidy bed within the apartment building; he had dreamt of the day he lost Sarah. He rubbed his face with his right hand before he stood up and walked forward a bit. He placed his right hand on the wall as he steadied himself, feeling a bit groggy. Joel's black hair was now very gray and still graying along with his beard. Many cuts and scars were on his face which he had gotten over the past twenty years because of battling infected and non-infected; you definitely can't trust the living sometimes. On his left wrist was the watch that Sarah had given to him, now broken but still kept as remembrance of his beloved deceased eldest daughter. He wore a green checkered collared shirt, which was rolled up to his elbow, and he wore some old jeans along with some old shoes.

        He looked around the apartment room and could not spot his daughter anywhere. As worry began to build up within him, the door to the apartment room opened, revealing Daniella with Tess and Nathan behind her. As the three of them walked inside and closed the door behind themselves, Joel removed his hand from the wall and strode forward a bit, crossing his arms as he stared at his grown daughter.

        Daniella smiled nervously at him. Despite that she was old enough to take care of herself, she knew how protective her father still was of her and how he still thought of her as his baby girl, even though she was no longer a child or even a teenager. "Hi, Dad. Uh, sleep well?"

        "Where were you?" Joel asked her. "I told you not to go anywhere without letting me know first. Something could've happened to you."

        Daniella sighed. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad. I'm twenty-seven years old and I can take care of myself. All I did was help Tess out and the both of us came upon Nathan by chance," she stated. She walked over to the table Tess and Nathan were by. She wasn't going to tell her father that Nathan unknowingly planned to kill her and Tess; he'd probably kill Nathan regardless since he already didn't really like him. Joel didn't respond and just looked in the direction of the three.

        Tess broke the short silence as she looked at the table, picking up a bottle of alcohol. "How was your morning?" she asked Joel. She poured some alcohol into a shot glass. Nathan followed suit before taking a sip of what he poured into his own shot glass, remaining quiet. Daniella made no move to make a glass for herself, not being a big fan of alcohol. Tess gestured towards her shot of alcohol, looking at Joel. "Want one?"

        "No, I don't...want one," Joel said, speaking harshly at first and then more softly. He was clearly in a somewhat bad mood.

        "You're missing out," Nathan commented. Joel glared at him and Nathan looked away, whistling a bit before sipping some more of the alcohol as he mentally decided not to say another word to Joel; at least, for the time being, he wouldn't say another word. It became quiet once again.

        Tess broke the awkward silence a second time, leaning against the table. "Well, we have some interesting news for you," Tess started.

        "Where were you, Tess?" Joel questioned. "Where did you and Daniella go? What happened?" Daniella bit her lip, hoping it wouldn't be revealed that Nathan had been with the dicks that attempted to kill Tess and herself.

        Tess looked at Joel, lifting her glass to her lips. "West End District. We had a drop to make and you didn't want any part of it this time so Daniella volunteered to help me out in your place." She took a sip of the alcohol before she was randomly handed a rag by Joel. "Thanks." She dipped one end of it inside the glass before dabbing the soaked side on her right cheek that had a cut and was bruising lightly.

        "So, I'm guessing that the whole deal went south and the client made off with our pills," Joel stated. He looked and sounded quite frustrated.

        "That guess was entirely wrong," Daniella commented. "Sorry, but it is."

        Tess laughed humorlessly. "Deal went off without a hitch. Enough ration cards to last us a couple of months." She pulled out the cards and tossed them onto the table. "Easy."  
        "Real easy actually," Daniella stated.

        Joel gestured to Tess's cheek. "You wanna explain this?"

        "We were on our way back and these two assholes came out of nowhere. One managed to get a good hit in, but we managed," Tess explained.

        Joel looked at Daniella, ready to open his mouth and say something to her. Daniella spoke first. "I didn't get hurt." She looked at Nathan and smiled. "Nathan helped us out."  
        Nathan blushed lightly and smiled back at her. "I did, didn't I?"

        "Hmph." Joel looked away from Daniella and stared at Tess. He approached her and took the rag from her hand, dabbing it against her cheek himself. "Are these assholes still with us?"

        Tess smiled. "That's funny."

        "Tess and I easily took down the big guy while Nathan took out the other one," Daniella stated. "See? I can handle myself just fine."

        "You didn't handle it alone, though," Joel pointed out as he continued dabbing the rag against Tess' cut.

        Daniella pouted and crossed her arms. "It still counts as handling myself, though," she mumbled.

        Tess stopped Joel, moving his hand away softly. "Those guys were a couple of nobodies. They don't matter. What matters is that Robert fucking sent them."

        Joel stared at Tess for a moment. "Our Robert?" Before Tess could say anything else, Joel quickly looked at Nathan. He pointed at him, anger growing within him. "Is that how you met up with them today?" He was referring to Daniella and Tess.

        Nathan looked at Joel and nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

        "You were sent to kill them?!" Joel took a step towards Nathan.

        Daniella quickly got in front of Nathan. "He didn't even know that it was us he had been ordered to kill! That's why he disobeyed those orders and helped us instead of killing us. He's on our side. I know that you dislike Nathan greatly, but he isn't like Robert or those other minion bastards of his. He's completely trustworthy unlike the rest of them."

        Tess nodded in agreement. "Daniella's right, Joel. Nathan is trustworthy and he plans on helping us find Robert."

        "Oh really?" Joel looked behind Daniella, staring at Nathan as he recrossed his arms. He wasn't entirely convinced just yet.

        "Old warehouse in Area Five," Nathan told him. "I don't know how much longer he'll be there, though. If we're gonna to do this, it's best we start heading there now before it's too late." Joel continued staring at him. "...What?" Nathan questioned.

        "You're real lucky that my daughter is defending you, son, or you'd be layin' on this very floor bleeding outta your ass," Joel told him angrily. He looked at Tess. "I'm ready now. You?"

        "I can do now," Tess stated. She looked at Daniella.

        "I guess we should start moving our asses then," Daniella stated. She started heading to the door, Nathan behind her.

        "You are staying here," Joel told Daniella, sternly.

        Daniella turned around to face her father as Nathan continued towards the door, walking around her. "The hell I am. I'm sorry, but I am not missing out on all the fun just because you think of me as the little seven year old I was twenty years ago. I am a full grown woman now and I know that I can help you guys. I helped Tess earlier and we handled that well. I can easily help take down all of Robert's men." She started counting with her fingers. "I can run fast if we're spotted by anyone because I know we're going to be stealthy otherwise how else are we going to get to the leader of the bastards, I have a great aim, I am amazing with using melee weapons, and I know how to punch someone to death." She smiled softly. "I learnt from the best, didn't I?"

        Joel appeared to be deep in thought, thinking carefully about what Daniella said and half smiled when she brought up the fact that he was the one who taught her how to defend herself. He looked at Tess, wanting to know what she thought.

        "I think she should come with us," Tess commented. "She's tough and stubborn. Reminds me of someone I know very well." She smiled as she stared at Joel.

        Joel rolled his eyes a bit. "Alright." He looked at Daniella again. "You can come along with us, but you need to stay close by."

        Daniella smiled. "Deal!" She gave him a quick hug before she headed to the door as Nathan finally opened it.

        "Thank you," Nathan whispered to her, thanking her for defending him.

        Daniella blushed. "You're welcome," she whispered back. They both headed out of the apartment room together. Joel and Tess watched the two of them, almost silently.

        "She likes him, you know," Tess commented. "Maybe even loves him."

        "Oh, I know," Joel stated. "And I hate it."

        Tess laughed. "You got to let her grow up at some point, Joel." She looked at him. "Like she said, she's twenty-seven. I know that you are really protective of her, but you aren't going to be around forever. Let her do as she wishes for once."

        "Whatever, Tess. Why don't you let me do as I wish," he told her. He headed out of the door. Tess shook her head, rolling her eyes as she followed him and pulled the door close behind her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is coming out tomorrow (7/17/16)!


	3. Another Way Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniella, Nathan, Joel, and Tess head to find Robert, only for something to happen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't that long.

Tess and Joel stepped out of the red bricked building, Joel closing the door behind him. Daniella and Nathan stood ahead of them, having had exited the building before them and were leaning against the wall of the opposite red bricked building. The four of them were in an alleyway of sorts with no one else around except a man and a woman standing in front of a dumpster not too far away, located in front of the light colored, brick house and atop that very building, there was a patrolling military guard. Daniella and Nathan stayed quiet as they waited, listening to the short conversation between Tess and Joel.

"The checkpoint's still open," Tess commented, facing Joel.

"Only got a few hours left until curfew," Joel pointed out.

"We better hurry up then." Tess turned the opposite way, no longer facing Joel, and started walking towards the dumpster where the man and woman were standing, heading left of them and heading down the dirty alleyway. Joel looked towards Daniella and Nathan.

Nathan removed himself from the wall, turning his head towards Daniella. "I guess we're heading onward. Ready to get moving?"

Daniella rolled her eyes. "Duh." She smiled as she removed herself from the wall, too. "Let's get going!" She broke into a light jog, heading in the same direction Tess had gone.

Nathan chuckled as he watched Daniella jog around the corner. His chuckling died down when he looked at Joel, who was staring at him with his arms crossed. Nathan rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, Sir-"

Joel interrupted him, not wanting to hear anything he said. "Just get moving, son."

"Right," Nathan muttered under his breath. He looked away from Joel and headed after the girls, Joel following right behind him. The two men caught up with the women at the end of the alleyway that lead to the street. Straight ahead and across the street, there was an unopened rations station with a long line, a military solider standing at the front of said line, and atop that building was a patrolling military officer (it wouldn't be surprising if there was a patrolling military officer atop of several buildings within the quarantine zone. A couple of banners were hanging on the buildings, one being something about the fedra while the others were of the curfew hours.

On the loudspeakers across the entire zone, a woman's voice was heard. "Attention. Citizens are required to carry a current ID at all times. Compliance with all city personnel is mandatory."

"I wish she'd shut up for once," Daniella commented after the woman had stopped speaking over the loudspeakers.

"Well, she's one of them military dickheads so that isn't gonna happen," Nathan stated.

"Fuck the military," Daniella said lowly, raising her hand and giving the military man on the roof of the building the middle finger while his back was turned. She did the same to the military man in front of the line of the ration center just a moment afterwards. Nathan laughed a bit, loving the fire within Daniella. Joel shook his head, sighing after glancing at the two.

"I agree with you there," Tess told Daniella, holding in a small laugh after witnessing Daniella flipping off the unsuspecting military guards. "But they rule the zone so it's best to stay on their good side."

"Pfffft," Daniella scoffed. "What good side?" She didn't believe the military had a good side to them. She felt this way for years.

"Yeah," Nathan stated, agreeing with Daniella. "What good side? They don't have a good side to 'em. At least, not nowadays."

"Just...try not to make them angry," Tess said, rewording her previous words. She looked towards the ration station. "Look at that. Ration line hasn't opened yet. Must be running low again."

" _When aren't they running low?_ " Daniella thought as she sighed. "Let's just go." The four of them headed right of the alleyway, heading down the street. They went by many Firefly wanted posters that were on the wall to their right. They went down the street a little ways before they walked by a large building to their left that was blocked off by barriers and military guards. Two men in hazard suits walked out of the building with two people; a man and woman were already kneeling down on the ground with their hands behind their heads and the two people getting escorted out of the building got on their knees, doing the same. " _Poor bastards,"_ Daniella thought as she, her father, Nathan, and Tess continued walking down the streets.

"Seems like more people are getting infected," Tess commented. The people they saw had been in a contaminated building.

"That just means more people are sneakin' out," Joel stated. The people they passed were either gonna be put down if they were infected or they were going to be arrested.

"Who can blame them. Life's shitty in here," Nathan said, speaking his own thoughts on the matter. "Leaving this place dead or alive is better than being stuck in here for the rest of your life."

"Mmm," Daniella hummed. She didn't agree or disagree with what he said.

The four of them turned left on the intersection, heading by a tank, some more guards, some more people, and some fences as they headed towards the gate that lead to a different section of the zone. Entering Checkpoint South Five, they all walked up to the guard that stood in front of the gate. Before they were right in front of the guard, Tess passed Joel the IDs they needed to go by; not just her own new ID or the new ID she got made for Joel, but Daniella's as well and even Nathan's because he handed it over to her when she asked before they even got to Joel and Daniella's apartment room, though he was a bit confused about it at the time.

"Let me see your IDs," the guard stated as soon as the four were right in front of him.

Joel handed the man the IDs. "There you go."

The guard looked them over. "What's your business here?"

"Got the day off. Visiting a friend," Joel answered. Tess, Daniella, and Nathan remained quiet.

The guard nodded lightly before he handed the IDs back to Joel. "Alright. Move on through."

"Thanks," Joel responded. He was about to walk through the gates with Tess, Daniella, and Nathan when the truck on the other side of it suddenly exploded, followed by gunfire.

"What the hell?!" Nathan exclaimed. He hadn't expected that shit to occur.

"Shit," Daniella muttered under her breath.

"Fireflies!" a man of the military yelled.

The guard quickly closed the gate once he went through himself. "Get outta here! Go!" he yelled at Tess, Daniella, Nathan, and Joel before he turned away from them, lifting his assault rifle, and firing back at the shooting Firefly members.

"Let's get outta here." Tess turned back around towards the way they came and started sprinting. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan followed suit. They ran down the street and towards the large white apartment building they had gone by earlier; it was across from where the contaminated building was. Tess went inside the building first, followed by Joel, then Daniella, and lastly Nathan.

The loudspeaker woman spoke again. "Attention. Checkpoint 5 is now closed until further notice. All civilians must clear the surrounding area immediately."

"Of all the times the Fireflies could attack, they chose now to do it," Daniella panted out, paying no attention to the loudspeaker woman this time.

"You use to be a part of that little group," Nathan pointed out.

Daniella caught her breath before she spoke again. "Yeah, but that was before I realized how stupid it was." She crossed her arms. "Well, there goes that plan."

Tess nodded. "Yeah, so much for the easy route."

Nathan sighed. "Let me guess. We're stuck with the hard route?"

"Actually, it's the long route," Daniella stated. "And the semi annoying route." Her arms remained crossed, but another smile appeared on her face. Her mood didn't seem to remain sour for very long, no matter the situation; she was always back to being happy in no time.

"Would ya'll hush up on the route talk?" Joel asked as politely as he could managed. He looked at Daniella and noticed a cut on the back of her left hand. "You're bleedin'."

Daniella looked at him, wondering who he was talking to, and saw he was staring at her. "Huh?" She followed his gaze and looked at her left hand. "Oh. I guess a piece of debris flew in our direction and got me. I'll be alright. Doesn't look deep at all."

"You can't just leave it uncovered," Joel told her, taking a step forward to help her.

"Dad-" Daniella was about to protest, not wanting him to help her over something so little when Nathan stepped in front of her, his back to Joel. "Uh, yes?" Daniella questioned him. Nathan silently grabbed her left hand with his right hand and placed a band-aid over the cut. "A band-aid? Since when did these actually work anymore?"

"Since I used my magic on them," Nathan told her.

Daniella scoffed lightly and laughed a bit. "Right. Your magic. Shoulda known."

Nathan smiled at her as he looked into her eyes. "I don't know how they still manage to work despite being so old, but hey, who cares as long as it's working."

"True. Very true." Daniella kissed his cheek. "Thanks, but you didn't have to do that."

"Can't be too careful," Nathan responded as he lightly blushed.

Joel's fists clenched as he watched the two. "If you two lovebirds are done, we need to get moving."

Nathan turned around to face him as Daniella moved to his right. "Yes, Sir. What's the new plan exactly? Other than going the long route, I mean. Actually, what is the long route?"

Tess began to answer. "Well, they're gonna close all the checkpoints. Which means we're gonna have to go around the outside."

"Outside the wall?" Joel questioned. He had hoped this long route they spoke of wouldn't be that, but looks like his hope betrayed him.

"Or we can just let Robert go," Tess suggested, though she knew that there was no way none of them were going to let that happen.

"Cute," Joel commented after letting out a breath. He had nearly laughed at the thought of them just letting the bastard go after what he did.

Daniella started heading down the hall, moving away from the door they entered. "We've wasted enough time already. Let's go."

"So impatient," Nathan commented as he followed her.

Tess smiled as she watched the two go down the hardly lit room. "I've got the feeling that he'd follow her to the ends of the Earth."

"Just keep moving," Joel replied.

"Alright." Tess started following Nathan and Daniella with Joel right behind her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Looking forward to more reviews! I did my very best! I'll gladly change it up if I screwed up at a part.


	4. Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel, Tess, Nathan, and Daniella go outside! OoO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am doing my very best at keeping this story as descriptive as I can make it and as decent as possible. I hope I did well and if you spot any errors or fuck ups, please inform me.
> 
> Daniella's Personality and Other Info: Strong-Willed, Stealthy, Kind-Hearted, Brave, Impatient, and Level-Headed. She wants to prove to her father that she isn't a helpless little girl anymore and that she can handle things on her own.
> 
> Nathan's Personality and Other Info: Tough, A Bit Reckless, Protective, Adventurous, Rude, and Skillful. He would risk his life to keep Daniella safe and alive.

 

Nathan and Daniella walked slowly, allowing Tess to walk around them and take the lead as they wandered through the building. Joel remained behind Nathan and Daniella, watching them closely. The four of them went up a couple of steps before turning left, heading down the hallway still. Halfway down the current hall was a dark skinned man sitting in a chair. As soon as the four got closer to the man, he stood up and strode over to Tess.

"Hey, Tess," the man quickly greeted. "You see that shit?" He began walking beside Tess, looking at her in the dim lighting of the hallway. He couldn't see her face well, but that didn't stop him from trying to look her in the eye as they all walked. He didn't seemed to notice that Joel, Daniella, and Nathan were there.

"I was there," Tess revealed to the man. Daniella, Nathan, and Joel were quiet, staying out of their conversation. She looked at the man for a split second before looking ahead to pay attention to where she was heading. "How's the east tunnel looking?" she asked him.

"It's clear. I just used it," he answered. "No patrols." He and Tess turned right after passing a corner, heading do the continuous hallway. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan followed them silently, ease-dropping on their conversation. "Where you off to?" the man asked Tess.

"Gonna pay Robert a visit," she revealed to him, hiding absolutely nothing from the man that was quite obviously her friend.

"You too?" He shook his head lightly, letting out a small sigh.

Tess turned her head to look at him again as they dawdled down the hall. Ahead of them was a more lit up section of the hallway, a light skinned man sitting in a chair within that section. "Who else is looking for him?"

"Uh, Marlene. She's been asking around, trying to find him," the man responded.

Tess went back to looking dead ahead of her. "Marlene? What do the Fireflies need with Robert?"

"You think she'd tell me?" the man questioned.

"Well, what did you tell her?" Tess asked.

"The truth. I got no idea where he's hiding," the man stated.

Tess half-smiled as the five of them reached the lit up area. "Good man. Hey, you stay out of trouble, alright? Military's gonna be out in force soon," she told the man, saying farewell in her own kind of way.

"Yeah. See you around." The man stopped walking with them, placing his back against the left wall as he leaned against it. He crossed his arms and looked at the floor beneath him.

As soon as the four had turned left at the next corner, Nathan growled lowly. "Asshole didn't even acknowledge us."

"He was talking to Tess and just Tess," Daniella stated, not phased by the fact. "If he had felt like it, he would've spoken to us, too, but he just wanted to speak with her."

"Hmph," Nathan grunted. "Whatever. He could've at least said hi. I hate being ignored."

"I know," Daniella responded. "Just try to let it go." Their short conversation ended, allowing Tess to start a new conversation to avoid silence.

"Marlene lookin' for Robert? What do you make of that?" Tess asked Joel, Nathan, and Daniella.

"I don't like it. We better find him before the Fireflies do," Joel commented.

"Why? Sounds to me like she just needs him for something," Nathan commented. "Probably sexual favors~"

"I didn't need that image in my head," Daniella said, responding to what Nathan had stated. "She probably needs something important. Like weapons, maps, ammo, or just plain needs his help with getting something she doesn't want to go get herself. There are many possible reasons as to why she wants to find him that doesn't involve something sexual."

Nathan placed his arm around Daniella. "Ain't you smart."

Daniella's face flushed and she smiled a little, looking at his face for a second. "I wouldn't be alive if I weren't."

The four of them approached the end of the hallway. There was a dead end, but an apartment to the far left was accessible. As soon as they were by the room, they walked inside one by one. A man was sitting on an old couch. "Hey, guys," he greeted, talking to them all instead of just one of 'em. "How's it going?"

Tess approached the man. "Shit's stirring up out there? How we lookin' over here?" Daniella and Nathan moved to lean against a wall beside on another to the left of the room, standing right beside an entertainment center that hadn't been used in years. Joel moved to stand behind Tess.

"Ah, it's been quiet," the man answered. "No signs of military or infected."

"That's what I like to hear," Tess stated. She went over to the entertainment center located beside Nathan and Daniella. The two stepped away as Tess grabbed one end of the entertainment center. She pushed on it, but it didn't move much. She looked towards Joel. "Joel, give me a hand with this."

Joel went over to the entertainment center as soon as Tess stated that she needed his help, going to the other end of it. He began to pull the shelf in his direction while Tess pushed it, making the shelf finally move. There was a large hole in the wall that the shelf had blocked; it was their way out of there, their way to slowly but surely get to where Robert was. Tess took her hands off the entertainment center, along with Joel, and she dropped down into the revealing hole with Joel behind her. Daniella and Nathan approached said hole, ready to drop down after the two.

"Ya'll take it easy out there," the man on the couch commented.

"We will," Daniella answered. "And you take it easy in here."

"Be careful dropping down," Nathan told her. "I don't want you twisting your ankle or anything."

"I've done this plenty of times," Daniella stated. She dropped down the hole, landing firmly on her feet in a slightly crouched position. She moved aside, allowing Nathan to drop down, too. They were in a basement of sorts, an abandoned engine room that was hardly used. Ahead of them was a red generator that was activated, allowing the room to be lit up. Joel was standing in front of the generator, waiting for them or rather, he was waiting for Daniella. Nathan and Daniella walked towards him, following him through a narrow walkway and parkouring over the large pipe that they could not just simply walk by. Tess was already in the next room that they had just entered, standing before a work bench that held three backpacks.

Joel approached the work bench, picking up the 9mm pistol that lay beside his backpack. He checked to see how much ammo he had within it. "Not much ammo," he commented before placing the gun in the back of his jeans. He picked up the gas mask and flashlight on the work bench, putting the mask in his backpack and putting it on before connecting the flashlight to himself and the backpack strap. Tess and Daniella followed suit with their own belongings; Tess was Joel's partner so of course she had her own stuff down there and Daniella always tagged along with them, that being why she, too, had some belongings in that room.

"This may be the end of the line for me," Nathan commented. "I don't have a mask on me and it's possible that we may run into spores before we get to Robert, before I can get me a mask."

"I have an extra one in my back," Daniella stated. "I had it encase mine were to break. You can use it whenever needed."

Nathan smiled. "I'm a lucky man." He didn't ask for a weapon. He already had one on him since he had been assigned to kill Tess and Daniella, only to not do so. Unlike the other three, his gun (a revolver) was located in a holster that he had found years ago, still functional.

Tess and Joel walked around the corner, Daniella and Nathan following close behind. Joel approached the wall, turning his back to it, and crouching with his hands out low, palms up. "Come on." Tess approached him and stepped on his hands with her left foot, getting a boast up and grabbing the ledge of the wall, climbing up it thanks to Joel's help. "You're turn, Daniella." Daniella nodded and did exactly what Tess had, climbing up the wall too.

Nathan shifted, uncomfortable and feeling awkward. "Uh... Is there any other way for me to get up there?" He didn't really want to be boasted up by Joel, especially since the man hated him; it would just make things worse for him, in his mind. Joel rolled his eyes as he got out of his crouched position. He turned towards the wall and grabbed onto Tess's hand as soon as she reached down to him, climbing up the wall with her help. Nathan blinked; he was an idiot for not figuring that out on his own.

Daniella laughed. "Come on, you doofus. We don't have all day." She reached down, waiting for him to make his move.

Nathan pouted. "I'm not a doofus," he mumbled before approaching the wall, grabbing onto Daniella's hand. With her help, he was able to get up the wall, too.

Above them was a wooden door that covered their exit. Joel pushed it aside with ease and climbed out. Tess climbed out of the hole next, followed by Daniella and Nathan. They stood in an abandoned pizzeria, but only for a few seconds because they soon exited it, going outside.

Daniella walked by her father and Tess. "Mother Nature is fucking amazing." She jogged around a sinkhole in the middle of the broken, grassy street. She smiled and giggled a bit. "So, so awesome." Joel made a move to follow her, but Tess placed her hand on Joel's shoulder. He looked at her and she shook her head, nodding towards Nathan.

Nathan jogged after Daniella, wanting to be by her side. "You love nature that much, huh?" He followed her as they moved away from the sink hole, heading towards an old car.

"Mhm," Daniella hummed. She wasn't going to deny what was very obvious.

"I'll gladly bring you out here from time to time. Maybe, you know, it could be like a date," Nathan said.

Daniella looked at him, still smiling as she finally stopped walking, standing right beside the car. "That would be great."

Nathan's eyes widened lightly as he stopped just a foot away from her. He certainly wasn't expecting her to say yes. "Really? You're not fucking with me, are you?"

Daniella laughed. "I'm being completely serious, Nathan." She held her hand out and Nathan grabbed it, holding it in his own. "I adore you. I really, really like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be somewhat flirty with you all the time."

Nathan smiled and chuckled lightly. "You have a point there." He squeezed her hand. "So, uh, does this mean we are together?"

"Yes. Yes, it does." Daniella leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Let's talk more about this another time." Nathan nodded, blushing lightly.

Joel and Tess had watched from afar, but were not able to hear the entire conversation. Joel didn't bother commenting on what the two were possibly talking about, not wanting to get back in a mad mood (which hadn't completely gone away yet, anyways). Instead, he commented on something else. "Ain't been out here in awhile."

"It's like we're on a date," Tess replied, walking past him. She was heading to where Daniella and Nathan were.

"Well, I am the romantic type," Joel stated as he followed close behind her.

"You got your ways," Tess said. It didn't take long for the two of them to get to where Daniella and Nathan were. Daniella and Nathan hadn't spoken since their little conversation ended.

"What was taking you so long?" Daniella asked, tilting her head. "Were you two talking?"

"Actually, we were letting the two of you talk," Tess stated. Nathan and Daniella both raised an eyebrow, not believing that fully. "Okay, I let the two of you talk and held Joel back."

"That sounds much more realistic," Nathan commented.

"Much more," Daniella commented. She looked at the brick wall of the apartment building nearby, looking at the hole in it. She didn't see the ladder anywhere against the wall. "Where's the ladder?"

"Don't know. It has to be somewhere," Tess responded. She walked around the car. "There it is," she stated as she spotted the ladder of the ground.

"That was convenient," Nathan stated, chuckling. He walked around the car, too, and picked up the ladder. "I've got that." He carried it over to the brick wall...

 


	5. Fatherly Wrath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still trying to keep the schedule of updating every Sunday/Monday. Kinda difficult considering how lazy I am and how distracted I get.
> 
> Warnings: There definitely might be some out-of-character moments in this chapter. I really try my damn best to keep them all in character, even the OCs, but it is difficult.

        Nathan approached the red brick wall that had a large hole within it, revealing the building's second floor. In his hand was the ladder that Tess had found and he placed it against the wall gently. He turned around and stepped aside as Daniella, Joel, and Tess approached where he stood. He gestured towards the ladder, his eyes on Daniella. "Ladies first."

        Daniella smiled. "Since when were you so polite?"  
  
        "Since always," he stated, blushing slightly. "Just climb the damn ladder already, Dani."  
  
        Daniella laughed. "Okay, okay." She gripped the sides of the ladder and climbed up, reaching the second floor.  
  
        Nathan gazed at Tess next. "Alright, Tess, it's your turn."

        "Are you trying to romance me now?" Tess teased as she approached the ladder next, climbing up it the second she reached it.

        Nathan scoffed. "I'm just being a nice guy." He looked at Joel. Joel approached the ladder silently, climbing up it without a word. Nathan sighed, feeling like he'd never get on the old man's good side or even have one good conversation with him. He silently climbed up after him once Joel had gotten onto the second floor. The room the four now stood in was damaged greatly, had some old furniture here and there, and there was an old, damaged pool table in the middle of the room. There were also some plants and weeds growing by the pool table, showing that Mother Nature can even spread into the old buildings.

        "This way," Tess stated before she jogged into the next room. Joel followed her, walking by Daniella.

        Daniella was standing by a old, pale white sofa. Nathan approached her and she grinned. "Waiting for me?" Nathan asked her.

        "Mhm," she answered via humming. She made a move to follow Joel and Tess, but Nathan gripped her right arm softly, preventing her from moving onward just yet. She looked at him again. "What is it?" she asked softly.

        "Your father hates me," he stated, getting right to the point of what he wanted to talk about.

        Daniella sighed. "He doesn't...hate you. He just...doesn't trust you."

        "Then, how do I earn his trust?" Nathan asked.

         "I don't know," Daniella answered. "You'll have to figure that one out on your own. It's hard for him to trust anybody."

        "I don't blame him," Nathan said a bit quietly. "Life has been shitty for as long as I can remember."

        "He'll grow to trust you eventually, Nathan," Daniella stated. "I'm sure of it." Nathan nodded slightly. "Come on." Daniella placed her hand in Nathan's and the both of them finally went into the next room, a room that had once been a dining room. Joel and Tess were standing by a staircase, waiting for the two of them. Nathan and Daniella approached them, still hand in hand.

        Joel eyed their connected hands. "Want to explain to me why you two are holding hands?"

        Daniella looked at Nathan and jerked her head towards Joel, indicating that she wanted him to tell Joel the reason why. Nathan hesitated before he spoke. "Well, it's normal for people to, uh, hold hands when they are...together." He was surprised that he was so nervous to reveal that he was dating Daniella; it was a feeling he hardly ever felt in his life.

        "'S'cuse me, son?" Joel crossed his arms and gave Nathan a hard look.

        "Uh..." Nathan gulped. For once, he was kinda scared of Joel. Or rather, he was scared of Joel's fatherly wrath for once.

        "We're dating," Daniella stated with full confidence. "And I don't care what you think because I can decide who I can or can't date."

        Joel jabbed a finger at her. "Do not talk to me like that. I am your father and-"

        "Joel, she's right. She's old enough to make her own decisions," Tess commented, stepping into the conversation to save Daniella from another fatherly lecture. "Quite frankly, they're the cutest couple I've ever seen in this shitty world and I don't think your opinion on them is going to break them apart."

        Joel was visibly angry, looking at Tess. "I don't approve of him, Tess. He can't be trusted." It was his nature to be overprotective of Daniella. He didn't want to lose her and couldn't trust any man that was ever around her.

        "He is trustworthy, Joel," Tess stated. "You just never trust anybody. Give him a chance."

        "I did and he blew it when he nearly got the two of you killed today," Joel told her.

        "Can we just keep moving?" Daniella asked, getting in between the two's conversation. She didn't want to hear anymore of her father's disapproval of her and Nathan's newfound relationship; his opinion didn't matter, but it was upsetting regardless. Without hearing an answer, she dropped down the broken staircase with Nathan quickly following suit before another argument could take place. She walked to the next room with Nathan while Tess and Joel had yet to drop down. She paused her walking and waited.

        "I'm sorry," Nathan apologized suddenly.

        "For what?" Daniella asked. "It's not your fault that he acts like that."

        "I know, but that's not why I'm apologizing. I should've been the one to tell him we were together," Nathan stated.

        "But, you did tell him," Daniella clarified. "In your own weird way."

        "He scared me a bit," Nathan revealed. "And you know how rare it is for someone to scare me."

        Daniella looked at him and started giggling. "Oh, so the Infected don't scare you, but the wrath of my father does?"

        "Hey, you'd be scared, too, if you were dealing with the wrath of someone's father." Nathan half-smiled.

        Daniella smiled, her good mood having fully returned. "Probably."

        Still standing atop the broken staircase, Joel and Tess were having their own short conversation. Tess had started off a different topic, to get Joel's mind off of what happened just moments ago. "You think Robert's still got our guns?"

        Joel let out a long sigh. He really needed his mind on something more important, like their new conversation. "For his sake, he better."

        "Look, once we get our merchandise back, it should be easy to unload," Tess said, moving her hands and arms around lightly for emphasis.

        "Speaking of merchandise, when's the next shipment due?" Joel asked her, his eyes still on her. Hell, his eyes reminded on her since Nathan and Daniella dropped down the staircase.

        "Well, we're meeting Bill next month. More pills, lots of ammo, supposedly," Tess answered.

        Joel nodded shortly. "Yeah, well, he always shows up with somethin'. Should keep us busy for a while." He sighed again. "Come on." He dropped down the staircase, followed by Tess. They walked into the next room where Nathan and Daniella stood.

        "Ready to keep moving?" Tess asked them.

        Daniella and Nathan nodded together, answering together as well. "Yes, ma'am."


	6. Runners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I didn't update last Sunday or on Monday. Been busy because of my Grandmother passing away and going to her funeral. I've also been hanging around my two younger cousins and my crazy, lovable aunt; that was fun because we saw a scary movie (Lights Out) and we just been walking around at the mall & shit.
> 
> Last time on Our Pandemic World: Joel learned that Daniella and Nathan were going out, completely disapproving of the relationship while Tess was on the couples side in the argument that followed, in a way. The four of them are at the bottom of a staircase, in another room of an abandoned building about to head further in as they slowly make their way to where Robert is located.
> 
> Warnings: Errors, OOCness, and Cursing.
> 
> I also apologize that the chapters aren't very long, but I am trying to keep them from being too short. 
> 
> Am I making Joel too overprotective? Then again, a lot of fathers are super overprotective to the extreme (my father is the normal amount of overprotective). I feel like I had repeated a conversation but within two different chapters. If I did so, sorry. Same conversations occurring actually happens in real life, too. Example: my dad always tells us stories from his past that we already know about, but I actually like re-hearing them.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter and stick around for next week's update!

        Joel, Tess, Daniella, and Nathan walked through the dark room they were in, none of them saying a word. Tess was in the front of the little line they formed, followed by Joel, then Nathan and Daniella whom walked beside each other. They exited the room, going through a very narrow hallway; Nathan moved to walk behind Daniella so that they could fit. Tess came to a stop at the end of the hallway, looking left to the entrance of the new room that wasn't as narrow as the hallway. She looked at the three. "Hold up. Spores."

        "Well, shit," Nathan commented. He watched as Joel, Tess, and Daniella pulled a gas mask from their backpacks. Daniella pulled out a second one once her own was secured to her face. She handed it to Nathan. "I really am sure as hell lucky you had got another mask."

        Daniella smiled from underneath the gas mask. "That almost didn't make any sense. Now, put the gas mask on before you get infected." Nathan quickly took the mask from her hand and put it on. Daniella looked towards her father and Tess, nodding. "We're ready to proceed."

        Tess headed into the room, going to the opening where the spores were appearing; the spores looked like smoke, but it clearly was not. Entering the next room, she looked around as she turned on her flashlight. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan entered the room after her.

        "Where the hell are all these comin' from? Place was clear last time," Joel commented and wondered as he, too, turned on a flashlight he had. He spotted a hole in the wall towards his right, he was standing near where he entered since he didn't move too much away from the room's entrance, and he approached the gaping hole, crouching down.

        "They're coming outta somethin'," Tess clarified. "Stay alert."

        "Probably coming out of his ass," Nathan mumbled lowly.

        Daniella, however, caught what he said. "Nathan," she said in a warning tone. "Don't. Just don't." She turned on her own flashlight, following suit of what Tess and Joel had done. She looked around, but spotted nothing except the hole her father was entering. "See anything?" she asked him.

        "The culprit," Joel answered as he exited the little tunnel the hole made. He had moved past a dead infected. Tess, Daniella, and Nathan each took their time going through the gaping hole, spotting the dead infected.

        "God, that's gross," Daniella commented as she stood up straight.

        "Eh," Nathan commented, responding to Daniella's react to the infected corpse. "I've seen grosser things than that."

        "Of course you have. You worked for Robert. You probably bashed in a lot of heads," Daniella stated.

        "You aren't wrong about that," Nathan replied, admitting to doing such a thing as bashing in someone's head.

        Tess took a good look at the infected corpse once she was out of the tunnel. "Body's not that old. Better keep our eyes and ears open."

        "And hands on our guns," Nathan added to Tess's statement.

        "Better not shoot unless we're spotted, though," Daniella told him. "I rather take out the infected without wasting any ammo. We need it for when we get to Robert's."

        Nathan thought about it before nodding in agreement. "You're right. We'll need all the ammo we have to deal with all of the men Robert has. There's no way we could go about that quietly."

        "We could try," Tess commented.

        Nathan shook his head, looking at her as he disagree with that idea. "We'd get our asses kicked if we get spotted. It's not worth the risk."

        "Alright. Loud and proud it is," Tess stated. She looked around and spotted a board covering their only way out. Tess gestured to it, looking at Joel. "Joel."

        Joel sighed. "I got it." He approached the board and pushed it aside. As soon as it was out of the way, bits of the ceiling came crashing down and Joel covered his head. He didn't get wounded since the bits weren't large, but still, you can't be too sure. "Shit."

        "What?" Tess asked, alarmed.

        "Nothing. Just the damn ceiling's fallin' apart," Joel revealed.

        "You alright?" Daniella asked.

        "I'm fine." Joel squeezed through the narrow gap. He jumped out of startlement when coughing came out of nowhere, coming from beneath him. He looked down and moved. There was a man trapped under some cabinets and the man continued coughing. Tess entered the new room from the gap and Joel pulled her away, not sure if the man was turning at that very moment. He did the same when Daniella was through, but not Nathan. Nathan just looked down at where everyone else was looking at.

        "Ouch," Nathan commented. "Sucks for you, man." He walked away from the pinned man, going by the others. He had the tendency of not caring about others, others that he either wasn't fond of or didn't know; he only cared about his friends and Daniella.

        Daniella hit his arm as he went by. "That's cruel. He's suffering."

        "Better him than me," Nathan told her, speaking the truth of what he was thinking. He didn't stand beside her, instead moving to the other side of the room, standing by desks. Daniella frowned and sighed before looking back at the suffering man.

        "Help me..." the man wheezed out. He coughed again. "My mask broke..." he revealed to the group. "Don't... Don't leave me to turn... Please..." He was begging for mercy, begging to be killed so he wouldn't become one of the infected. He continued to cough.

        "What do you want to do?" Tess asked Joel, looking at him. Joel pulled out his gun, but seemed a bit hesitate about shooting the man.

        "We're doing him a favor," Daniella told Joel. "It's just one bullet, Dad." She smiled sadly and looked away, walking to where Nathan was standing. Joel looked at her before looking back at the suffering man, lifting his gun, and pulling the trigger as he pointed the gun at the man's head, killing the man.

        "Poor bastard," Tess commented. She leaned over near the cabinets that fell on the man and picked up some ammo. She handed it to Joel. "Here. More rounds." Joel took them and placed the ammo in his bag. Nothing more was said and they went on their way. The four of them searched the area, going into the next room where there were office-like desks. There was a small hole in the wall, leading to another room so they each took turns crouching as they went through; they remained crouched, however, when a blank fell down ahead of them.

        "Something's here," Daniella whispered.

        "Shh, shh," Joel hushed her. He moved closer to the wall and listened. He could hear, at least, two infected runners taking down someone and he heard another infected runner entering the room to their left, which was a part of the wall Joel was against. "There are three runners at the most," he whispered to the three.

        "We can take them out easily," Nathan commented lowly. He got his gun out.

        Daniella shook her head and made him lower it. "Stop thinking recklessly. Don't waste your ammo. We can try sneaking past them."

        "What's the fun in that?" Nathan asked her, speaking speaking lowly. Daniella didn't answer. She looked back towards her father and saw him entering the room that a runner had walked into. The runner had spots of blood at multiple places of its skin that was shown and its back was to Joel. Joel quietly and quickly wrapped his arms around the runner's neck, strangling it to death as it still needed oxygen like a normal human being.

        "Nice work," Daniella commented in a whisper. She, Tess, and Nathan followed Joel through the room and into the larger room where the feasting runners were, remaining in their crouching position. They headed towards the stairs across the room, past the walls as they hoped to not be heard or seen. All was well until Nathan mis-stepped as he went up the stairs last, his foot sliding from underneath him, and causing his foot to hit the staircase railing a little too loudly.

        "Shit," Nathan muttered.

        The two infected runners stopped feasting on their meal and took off towards where they had heard the noise. Joel and Tess were almost completely upstairs while Daniella was halfway up and Nathan wasn't even close to being halfway up. The runners went at Nathan and Daniella quickly pulled out her gun, firing at the runners as Nathan got up. "Hurry up, Nathan!"

        "I am!" Nathan went past Daniella as she stopped firing momentarily, only for her to start firing again before quickly having to reload.

        "Daniella!" Joel yelled, sprinting back down the stairs to get to her location. As Nathan hurriedly tried to get his own gun out and before Joel could reach the two of them, one of the runners grabbed onto Daniella and tried biting her, but she kept it away from her, using all of her strength to do so while the second runner was taken out with one bullet to its head, courtesy of Tess who had came down the stairs as well to help out. Joel was prepared to punch the runner that was trying to harm his daughter since he wouldn't be able to pull his gun out fast enough, but Nathan beat him to it and he continued to pound the runner until it was dead on the ground.

        "Alright, that's all of 'em," Tess commented. "Was anyone hurt?" Nathan shook his head.

        "I-I'm good. Holy shit," Daniella breathed out. "I wasn't expecting that." She looked at Nathan. "Thanks."

        Nathan looked at her. "It was nothing, babe."

        "Thank you," Joel thanked Nathan. "For helping her."

        Nathan looked at him next and kind of smiled. "Like I said, it was nothing. I'd do that for any of you guys, not just her, you know."

        "I'll keep that in mind," Joel stated. He went back up the stairs, the other three following close behind him. Once they reached the top, there was a large opening in the building that lead outside and they immediately hopped out, landing in the grass below...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be some moments in this fanfiction where you'll think: why the fuck didn't they help out more?! It's because shit that happens in game will tend to happen in fanfiction. Because logic. Idfk. I'm just saying shit to try and make shit make sense and shit. Yeah.


	7. Heading to The Slums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title Self Explanatory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome back! Here's a quick, lil' author's note (not lil' at all). In the far future, not any time soon, there will be a chapter containing flashbacks of how Daniella and Nathan met. Also, in those flashbacks, how the two fell in love will be shown and such. Also, in more future events, Dani will prove she can survive on her own plus Nathan will prove himself worthy of Dani and show he can be trusted (PokemonFreak90 is credited for this idea, though, I already had this planned out :D).
> 
> Warnings: Errors, OOCness, and Cursing.
> 
> Sorry that this is being posted several days later than the schedule I planned (Sundays or Mondays). My mind has been more on working on my books than my fanfictions and I will be taking a break from making fanfictions in the near, maybe far-ish, future. All current fanfictions, that aren't on hold, will be finished. However, those on hold will not be continued for, at least, a couple of months after the current ones are done (that is when the break is starting, but when it is actually occurring won't be known until further in the future, whenever the current fanfics are done). This was longer than I hoped the note to be.
> 
> PLEASE ENJOY!

        As the four of them each straightened up to stand somewhat evenly on the grass at the edge of a small, narrow, and shallow sinkhole filled with water, Daniella looked around at their surroundings. A smile immediately spread across her face as she, once again, started to admire the works of Mother Nature. Everywhere to their right was blocked off by green weeds with a few white lily flowers here and there. She strode over to where one of the flowers were and picked it, holding its stem between her fingers softly.

        "Ahhh, some fresh air," Tess commented, breaking the silence as she took deep breaths of the unpolluted air. "That's the one thing I love about the outside." She moved past Joel, stepping into the water within the sinkhole, and moving through a broken fence. Joel looked towards his daughter, whom was still staring at the flower, and then looked towards Nathan. The two made eye contact, saying no words to one another. After a few seconds, Joel broke the eye contact, following after Tess; she hadn't gone too far, waiting right beside a vehicle with no wheels, no windows, and loads of weeds.

        Nathan tilted his head in confusion before he realized what just happened. Joel wasn't going to attempt to stop him from speaking to Daniella. Nathan didn't think too much about it because he was sure it would only be just that one time as another thanks for saving Daniella. Nathan approached Daniella, she wasn't but a mere foot from him, and he gently took the flower out of her hand. "Let's put this somewhere safe." He smiled at her and placed the flower into her hair towards the right side of her head.

        Daniella blushed and continued to smile. "Thank you, but I'm sure it'll fall out eventually."

        "If it does, we'll find you another flower. One just as beautiful," Nathan stated. He'd do anything to please her just like any man would do the same for their lover. Daniella's smile didn't falter and she turned around, heading to where her father and friend stood. Nathan quietly followed.

        More words were left unspoken as the four began walking around the vehicle, heading to the large red bricked building with broken windows that stood behind it. Just like on everything else, there were weeds on the building and some trees were growing out of it. As they approached the building and walked by many tipped over rusted trash bins, Tess walked faster and moved a weed covered pallet slightly, making an opening for them to go through. She went inside first, as she often did, and behind her went Daniella, Nathan, and lastly Joel.

        "Cover the entrance," Tess called out as she walked down the steps of the stoned platform they were on within the warehouse and headed towards the ledge that lead to the floor above. She easily climbed up on her own since it wasn't too high up. Daniella and Nathan followed her without saying a word.

        "I got it," Joel answered as he moved the pallet back where it had been originally. He, then, followed after the three, climbing up the same ledge after going down the same short stairs.

        In front of all of them was a gap that separated them from a broken window that lead back outside, but towards where they needed to go. Tess crouched down at the ledge and stared towards. "Damn it. Plank fell down." She looked at Joel. "Be a dear, would you?" Joel made no remarks as he moved over to the platform in the left corner and dropped down to the ground below where the plank was. Tess's eyes followed him as he walked towards the plank.

        "Hey, Tess. I'm curious about something," Nathan commented, staring at the back of her head.

        Tess turned her head to look at him. "Alright. What is it you're curious about?"

        Nathan smirked and approached her, getting down to her level and speaking quieter. "Why is it that you always ask Joel to do something?"

        Tess looked away from him. "That isn't any of your business to know." She watched as Joel picked up the plank down below.

        Nathan sighed. "I was just curious, Tess. Sorry if I struck a nerve." He removed himself from his crouching position and took several steps back. Tess, too, removed herself from a crouching position and she jogged over to where Joel had dropped down, waiting for him to approach the wall so that she could grab the plank from him and place it back where it had once been before it had fallen.

        Daniella strode closer to Nathan, placing her left hand on his right shoulder. "Curiosity killed the cat, huh?"

        "Pfft, curiosity killed the everything, sweet cheeks," Nathan replied, looking at her. He noted mentally that the white lily was still in her hair.

        "Hmm." Daniella thought about it momentarily. "You know what, I think you are right about that. That should've been the saying instead, yeah?"

        "Yeah," Nathan agreed. He looked away from her, looking towards where Tess stood. Daniella did exactly that as well. The two lovers watched as Tess grabbed the plank.

        "It's a bit heavy," Joel warned Tess as he turned around and headed towards the hole in the wall that lead back to where the short steps were and to where he would get back up to where the others were.

        "I think I can handle it," Tess responded. The plank in her grasp, she pulled it up and carried it over to where she had been crouching at. She placed the plank down perfectly and walked across, balancing as she did. "Find a way back up," she stated loudly to Joel. She waited on the other side of the gap.

        "Already on it," Joel answered, heading through the hole he had spotted. He went back up the ledge just as Daniella began walking along the plank, reaching the other side safely. When Nathan made no move to go next, Joel went across the plank himself. Once he was across, Nathan followed suit.

        Daniella, Joel, and Nathan followed Tess through the broken window. They all descended down the stairs and, one by one, they dropped to the glass below. Daniella moved to be by Nathan as Tess immediately jogged lightly towards the alley once everyone was off the broken metal staircase.

        "Let's make sure there aren't any soldiers around," Joel commented as he slowly followed behind Tess.

        "Yeah," Nathan agreed as he walked behind Joel with Daniella to his right. "Otherwise, we won't be going any further."

        "Don't worry too much about it," Daniella stated with a small grin. "I doubt there are any soldiers in this area."

        Tess jumped over the short wall in the alley. "It's clear," she called out softly to them since they weren't far behind her and she paused her walking at the corner of the alley. The three took turns hopping over the short wall and they all turned around the left corner, Tess leading the way still. She crouched down and went under the broken-down platform that was in the way, followed by the other three whom, once again, took turns ducking under the platform. Tess walked towards the door at their right and grabbed the handle, turning it and pushing the door open. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan followed her inside. "Shut it," Tess said as she walked to the next room. Nathan closed it since he was the last one to enter the building.

        "How much longer do you think it'll take before we finally find Robert?" Daniella asked Nathan as she made no move to follow Tess just yet, facing Nathan's direction. "I'm kinda getting impatient."

        Nathan laughed as he looked at her, watching her pout because of his laughter. "Don't worry, Dani. We're near where he's suppose to be."

        "What if he moved locations?" Joel asked, crossing his arms as he stared at Nathan.

        Nathan looked at him. "He didn't. No one can move locations that quickly. It'll take him a few days because of all the men he has," he answered.

        "Then, we better stop wasting more time," Joel stated, turning and heading to the next room where Tess was located.

        Daniella let out a long sigh and Nathan looked at her. She frowned. "He's right." She crossed her arms. "We've been wasting time by stopping to chat for a bit. We should hurry up."

        Nathan nodded. "Yeah, he is right, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to chat every once in a while." He held his hand out. "Shall we head onwards?" Daniella's frown vanished, being replaced by a small grin and she placed her hand in Nathan's, the two of them heading into the next room to be with Joel and Tess...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue from the game will not be shown in this fanfiction as I don't find it necessary (though, I did exactly that, I think, in my Until Dawn fanfic). The schedule is gonna be off for a while so please be patient with me, okay? :( Don't wanna rush my creativity and end up fucking up everything. If it takes me more than a week to update, I'm sorry. Also, sorry that it took me over a week this time around to update. DX
> 
> Oh, by the way, there will be quite a few moments where Daniella and Nathan will not talk. Just like there are moments in the game where Joel and Tess do not talk (which was quite a bit; same with Ellie and those moments will remain somewhat, some new dialogue may be added at some points to keep in originality). There will be plenty of moments, however, with Daniella and Nathan talking, whether it is just to each other, to Joel, to Tess, to any enemies or allies when they arrive, and/or to Ellie when she arrives.
> 
> See ya next time, whenever that is! Luv ya!


	8. The Slums

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, a few weeks have gone by since I last updated. I apologize. Been busy with other things and such. I hope that you all have been very, very patient. :D Yikes again. I am super sorry, but also not because I'm getting my book done! Eeek! Getting closer and closer to it being finished! I'm gonna be an author! I am gonna have a book published! EEEEEEK! I am super excited for the day I get the book published and I am hoping that it is sometime this year or the beginning of next year!
> 
> Here is where the fun begins, lovelies! The action is finally here! Sort of! There was only some action at the end, but the next chapter is all action! Well, again, sort of because I plan to have it stealthy like. Hmm... I got it: half stealth and half action! That'll make everyone happy, yeah? XP Lol.
> 
> I must say that I had planned to post this chapter yesterday (9/11), but the ending of it had been rushed so I decided to just fix it up today before I posted this chapter. Completely or halfway rushed chapters always turn out bad and I sadly have posted some in the past. I don't plan to continue on doing so just because I wish to update.
> 
> I deeply apologize for how I describe skin tones of characters that have no importance to the story except for them just being around here and there. I know their descriptions suck ass but like I said, they show no importance to the story. Those who do have an importance will have a better description with the acceptation of Robert, Frank, and other characters that stick around for a lil' while before leaving. So, Robert's men, other human enemies, and random people met along the adventure will have simple, sucky descriptions considering a) they will die/not be seen again and b) no importance other than providing some action to the story.
> 
> Warnings: Errors, Cursing, and OOCness.

        Nathan and Daniella entered the next room, joining Joel and Tess. There wasn't much in the room, really, except for multiple filthy counters with broken junk on it. The only thing of importance in that very room was a small box of ammunition on the largest counter. Joel picked it up, placing it within his bag where he could easily get it out if he needed it. Nathan and Daniella took two large steps, moving to be in front of the large counter. Daniella continued holding Nathan's hand as she sat on the counter while Nathan leaned against it. Joel stood just a step away from them, near the same counter still. Tess had walked up the tiny staircase in front of a door leading outside. Instead of opening it, she knocked on the door twice and she did so loudly. A few long seconds later, a young male opened the door slightly.

        "Hey, little man," Tess greeted. Joel moved to stand at the end of the tiny staircase. Nathan and Daniella stayed where they were, listening to the ordeal silently. "Make sure the coast is clear," she continued as she pulled a few ration cards from the side pocket of her bag. She held out the cards for the boy to take, but as he was reaching for them, she held them out of his reach. "No soldiers. None of Robert's men. Yeah?" The young boy nodded twice and he took the cards as Tess, once again, held them out to him. He closed the door.

        Daniella groaned, causing Tess, Joel, and Nathan to look in her direction. "Great, more fucking waiting," Daniella whined.

        Nathan chuckled. "Will you ever be patient?"

        "No," Daniella answered quickly, her frustration and impatience clear in her tone.

        Tess snickered and shook her head. "You'll learn to be patient sooner or later."

        "I know how to be patient. I'm patient around the Infected. I just ain't patient around times where I want a bastard dead," Daniella stated.

        "I wonder where you get that from," Tess falsely wondered as she turned her gaze to Joel.

        "I'm goin' to pretend you didn't just say that," Joel commented as he crossed his arms and returned the gaze. He turned the topic to something else. "You know he's expecting us."

        "Well, that'll make it more interesting," Tess chatted. The four of them heard the kid knock on the window, signalling for them to come on through. "Good to go. C'mon." Tess opened up the door and walked outside, immediately heading right. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan followed behind her as they usually did. There was a fence in front of them, but it was not blocking their path; it was simply there to be a wall of sorts for a little shop setup. A lightly dark skinned man in a hoodie stood in front of the fence and across from him, standing at the corner of the building the four had exited was another lightly dark skinned man with a buzzcut of some sorts named Terence.

        "Hey, Tess. Hey, Tess," Terence greeted twice. His face and tone showed that he wanted something from her. "Hey, pretty lady, how you doin' today?" he flirted as Tess ignored him while she walked right on by him. He continued, hoping to get her attention, as he kept his eyes only on her. "I heard you got some merchandise-"

        "Not right now, Terence," Tess commented, acknowledging the man at last. She turned to the man as she paused her walking. She didn't want to deal with anything else at the moment. Her mind was set on doing one thing: getting to Robert.

        Nathan, Joel, and Daniella paused their walking as well, standing in between Terence and the other man, but also being beside Tess. The three of them listened silently, not saying anything since there was no need for them to be a part of the conversation that clearly wasn't going to last long for they were in a bit of a rush. Though, them being in a rush hadn't stopped them from having their own conversations every now and then despite the rush they were in.

        "No, no, no. It's good. I got cards-" Terence hurriedly spoke, really wanting some of the merchandise. The way he was acting, it was almost as if he were hyped up from drugs.

        "Not...now," Tess barked. Though she appeared calm, her tone revealed she was getting a bit angry. "You hear me?" she questioned him, staring at him.

        "Okay. I can do that," Terence told her, giving up. Tess turned around, heading towards the path to the left between the many shop setups within that little section of The Slums. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan walked after her. "Don't get all huffy puffy about it," Terence mumbled as they moved onwards, crossing his arms and looking at the ground while he continued to lean against the wall.

        "Don't be all pouty wouty about it," Daniella muttered, having heard Terence. She rolled her eyes seconds after she finished her quiet sentence. She glanced at the fence to her right as she slowly walked with Nathan, Joel, and Tess. The fence served as a cage that held two dogs: one black and one white, but both the same size and type. She turned her gaze back to what was in front of her.

        "Say something?" Nathan questioned her, glancing at her for a second before looking back to where he was walking. Joel and Tess walked ahead of them as they maneuvered through the narrow path between the makeshift shops.

        "Nope," Daniella lied. It wasn't of any importance after all, just a little random remark.

        Halfway through the makeshift shops and the people standing near them or in them, the four went by yet another bearded man, there were quite a few of them there, except he was in a chair and had a woman in his lap. Neither of them were of any importance to the mission, but the man let out a comment as they went by. "Tess, it's been a while. You don't visit us anymore." Tess didn't say a word to him as they moved on.

        "Who the hell is that?" the woman in the man's lap asked him.

        "None of your damn business," he told the woman, shutting her up.

        Once they were a little ways from the man and woman, Daniella made a comment of her own as they continued walking slowly as a group. "He made it sound like you're a prostitute, Tess."

        Tess scoffed. "Oh, he wishes I was."

        "Don't see why he'd wish that. Looks like he's already got one," Nathan commented.

        "Lust," Joel stated as he stopped walking once they reached an old bus, turning his head towards Nathan. Nathan tilted his head slightly as he and the others came to a complete stop as well, confusion clear on his face. "That's why," Joel added.

        "Ah," Nathan uttered as he nodded shortly. "I see."

        Joel entered the old bus first, Nathan and Daniella following behind him in that exact order. Halfway through it, a capped, close-trimmed bearded man stood up from his chair and got in their way. He eyed Joel. "Where do you think you're goin'?" he questioned. He looked past Joel, seeing Nathan and Daniella. A bit of lust sparked in his eyes when his line of sight had laid on Daniella, but Nathan noticed and moved to be in the man's line of sight instead, glaring darkly at him.

        "Malick, sit back down," Tess ordered as she finally got on the old bus herself, approaching all of them.

        Malick looked at her for a split second before sitting back down. "Oh, sorry, Tess," he apologized. "Didn't realize you were together. Go ahead."

        As soon as the four of them had exited the old bus, Joel asked Tess a question as they all paused their walking once more. "Who's that?" He, of course, was referring to Malick.

        "An old headache," Tess answered. "Don't ask," she added, not wanting to speak about the man anymore.

        "It sounds more like an old heartache to me," Daniella commented, a slight smirk appearing upon her face.

        "It's not," Tess told her as she faced her. "He's just..." She tried to think of the best word to describe the man.

        "Annoying?" Nathan suggested, seeing her struggle with finding the perfect word.

        "Yeah. Exactly that," Tess confirmed. That conversation ended right then and there.

        The four of them moved out of the very crowded corner they were in and headed down the short path, walking into a very open area with few people. To the left was another shop, many crates, and at least three to four people. To the right was a gate guarded by a bald, hooded light brown skinned man and to the left of the gate was a little setup of sorts. Dead ahead of them were two people, a male and female, and a fence with large metal shipping crates beside it that prevented anyone from going in that direction. A few wanted posters were hanging against the shipping crates. The four of them wasted no time in heading to the guarded gate near them.

        Tess moved to be in front of Joel, Nathan, and Daniella again. She approached the man with them very close behind her. "I'm lookin' for Robert," she told the man, being straight forward about why she was there. She pulled out a ration card and held it up in front of the man. "He come through here?" she asked.

        The man didn't hesitate to answer her question. "Half hour ago. He went back to the wharf. He's there now." He took the ration card from Tess and pocketed it. Tess went through the gate and the other three followed behind her one by one; Daniella first, Nathan second, and Joel last. The four of them went down the walkway.

        "That was fast," Nathan commented. "I expected there to be some trouble."

        "There will be trouble nonetheless," Daniella stated. She glanced at the walls that were covered in Firefly graffiti. "They never waste time, do they? Spreading their word?"

        "Hmm?" Nathan wondered. As they continued walking slowly, Daniella pointed at the wall, making him look at it. "Oh. Yeah, that sounds like the Fireflies alright."

        The four of them took a left, walking through another gate. They slowed to a stop as three men approached them. The area they were in was large, the buildings being the walls of the area, and conveniently placed crates were spread about; this was the perfect place for a shootout, one that would most definitely be occurring soon. The four of them made sure they were near two of the crates, spreading themselves out evenly; Joel stayed by Tess's side while Daniella stayed by Nathan's, though Joel would've preferred to be by his daughter instead.

        "Here we go," Joel muttered under his breath for only Tess, Nathan, and Daniella to hear. He and Tess stood in front of one crate, Nathan and Daniella standing to their left in front of another that wasn't even three inches away from them.

        The three men stopped walking themselves. The light white skinned man and tanned man stood back a little ways from the dark brown skinned man that would be addressing them. The men were wearing clothing fit for thugs. The dark brown skinned man took a look at each of them, chuckling when his eyes locked on Nathan and Daniella. "Really, doge? You had everything man, but you left for that scrawny piece of ass?"

        Nathan pushed Daniella behind him slightly, glaring darkly at the man. "She's much more than that, Adrian, and that is something you will never come to understand." Nathan would not stand for any man to talk ugly about his girlfriend, especially a man like Adrian whom only used women for their bodies.

        Adrian simply smirked at him before he looked back at Joel and Tess. His smirk quickly faded from his face. "You guys need to turn around and head back if you know what's good for you." This advice was only directed towards Joel and Tess, his intentions clear on what he would do to Nathan and Daniella.

        "Our beef isn't with you. We just want Robert," Tess started. If they had to fight their way through to Robert, they would. "You don't want to do this," she added, seeing if she could prevent the fight from happening.

        "Turn the fuck around and leave now," Adrian told her, beginning to lose his patience. "I have business to attend to with Nathan and his pet."

        Joel opened his mouth to threaten Adrian, but Nathan spoke first. "You aren't laying a finger on her," he growled. "I'll beat you until you are unrecognizable. You will not touch her as long as I'm alive. No man will."

        "That can be arranged," Adrian declared, smirking at Nathan. He eyed Daniella, lust appearing in his eyes. Nathan pushed her behind him more, preventing Adrian from looking at her anymore. Adrian glared and Nathan glared back.

        "We're not going anywhere without Robert," Tess commented to Adrian. She wasn't giving up the opportunity to get Robert and she definitely wasn't just going to leave her friends there to face three men capable of murder and rape, no matter how strong she knew her friends were.

        Adrian sighed angrily and looked back at Tess. "Bitch." He pointed at her. "I will bash your skull unless you turn around and get your dumb ass outta here," he threatened.

        There was a short moment of silence before Tess spoke again after eyeing Joel, Nathan, and Daniella. "Fuck this." She looked back at the men, pulling her gun out and shooting Adrian in the face, ending his life then and there. The two remaining men took cover as Joel, Tess, Nathan, and Daniella did the same.

        "Holy Hell," Daniella cursed as she pulled out her revolver. "Didn't except shit to go down like this." She poked her head out and pointed her gun out, waiting for one of the bastards to poke their head out as well.

        "Expect the unexpected, sweetheart," Nathan told her as he began pulling out his own weapon.

        As soon as one of the men poked their head out from the cover, Daniella fired. She nailed him right in the shoulder and he fell back behind cover again, only wounded this time. The other man poked his head out and immediately started firing everywhere at them. Daniella ducked back down as Tess and Joel both popped their heads out, firing at the man. A few shots missed, but a bullet soon went through the bastard's head. The remaining man ran out of his cover, moving closer and towards a different crate. Nathan took a chance to poke his head out at last and he fired three bullets into the man, making him drop to the ground dead...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do tell me what types of fandoms you are a part of. Perhaps I may end up making a fanfic for another fandom of yours, yea? I have a list made (not published for others to see) and it has 200+ shows, movies, etc listed combined. This list is of what I hope to make fanfictions on or, at the very least, transcripts for. :)


	9. Robert and His Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert is finally dealt with.

        As soon as one of the men poked their head out from the cover, Daniella fired. She nailed him right in the shoulder and he fell back behind cover again, only wounded this time. The other man poked his head out and immediately started firing everywhere at them. Daniella ducked back down as Tess and Joel both popped their heads out, firing at the man. A few shots missed, but a bullet soon went through the bastard's head. The remaining man ran out of his cover, moving closer and towards a different crate. Nathan took a chance to poke his head out at last and he fired three bullets into the man, making him drop to the ground dead.

        "Nicely done," Tess commented as she moved out of her crouched position, no longer behind cover. She didn't need to protect herself anymore, at least not at that very moment. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan followed suit before they all, Tess included, placed their weapons back where they belonged.

        "You too," Joel responded. He walked over to the corpses of Adrian's men, searching one of them while Tess went to search the one across from him. They searched the corpses in silence. However, Joel did turn his head a few times to eye Nathan. He'd have to thank him later for defending his daughter verbally. Right now, there was a more important matter at hand so being thankful could wait a while.

        "That was close," Daniella remarked. "Too close for my liking." She walked up to the corpse of Adrian and kicked it lightly. "Bastard," she mumbled under her breath. She was happy that he was dead, though she wished she had been the one to off him. Nathan strode up beside her and crouched down, searching Adrian's corpse for anything useful. "Find anything yet?" Daniella asked after a moment.

        Nathan shook his head. "Nothing, but his gun." He looked to see how much ammo was within it, sighing once he saw. "Four rounds."

        "He certainly wasn't ready for a fight," Daniella pointed out. "He would've had more." Nathan nodded in agreement as he removed himself from crouching position, putting Adrian's gun in his bag. Before Nathan started walking over to where Tess and Joel were, Daniella quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek.

        Nathan looked at her, a bit confused and a bit surprised. There was no blush in his cheeks, none that Daniella could tell. "What was that for?"

        "For defending me in more ways than one," she answered softly. She smiled at him. "In other words, thank you."

        Nathan smiled back at her, the smile being a flirtatious one. "Well, you're welcome and all, but I believe you missed~" He spotted the white lily in her hair slightly out of its previous position and he quickly fix it, putting it back in place.

        Daniella tilted her head in confusion until Nathan poked his lips with his index finger. She let out a laugh and pushed him away when he tried to lean in. "I don't think so, buddy," she stated heartily, still laughing a bit. "That is for another time and place. A kiss on the cheek is enough for you." She walked past him, heading towards Tess and Joel.

        "Damn it," Nathan whispered. He shrugged a bit. "It was worth a shot." He followed after her. He eyed both Joel and Tess as they both became un-crouched. "Did they have anything?"

        "Just a few rounds," Tess answered. She had already placed the gun, with the ammo within it, into her bag.

        "How the hell did he get all these guys?" Joel questioned. He had finished up zipping his bag, having placed the corpse's gun and ammo in it. Joel looked at Nathan. "How the hell did he get you?"

        "I saved his ass," Nathan answered. "He offered me a job I couldn't refuse, up until recently." Nathan's eyes went to look at Daniella before he looked back at Joel. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Tess spoke instead.

        "If Robert's good at one thing, it's writing blank checks," she commented before she jogged down the tunnel ahead.

        "She's quite correct about that," Nathan stated. "Took the words straight outta my mouth." He walked after Tess, taking Daniella's hand as he went by her and bringing her along with him. Joel huffed before he jogged after them.

        Tess fumbled with the fence door, attempting to open it. There was a pipe lodged between two corners of it, keeping it in place. "Shit." She stopped trying and backed away from it. "Not goin' through here."

        "Watch and learn, Tess. Watch and learn," Nathan boasted as he let go of Daniella's hand. He went against the wall beside it and turned his back to it, crouching. He winked at Daniella. "Come on, sweet cheeks." Daniella rolled her eyes, her smile remaining, and she stepped into his hands that he held out, getting a boost upwards. She grabbed onto the wall's ledge and pulled herself up. She turned around to see Nathan moving away from the wall. "Who wants to be pulled up first?"

        "Does it really matter who goes first?" Daniella questioned. She reached down, waiting for anyone to grab her hand. "We don't got all day, you know."

        "Right. Sorry." Nathan strode back to the wall and grabbed her hand. As she pulled him up, his feet connected with the wall and he took that time to walk up it a bit before grabbing the ledge, letting go of Daniella's hand and pulling himself up. He stood up and stood back as he watched Daniella help out Tess next before Daniella moved to be beside him, letting Tess get Joel up there with them. "Good work, beautiful."

        Daniella blushed lightly. "Hush." She turned around and watched Joel climb up with Tess's help. "Let's get a move on, peoples."

        "Peoples?" Nathan questioned.

        "Yep, peoples. It's a word. Look it up in a dictionary whenever you find one," Daniella told him before she turned back around, jogging to the right as she moved through the alley.

        Nathan chuckled. "She's something else." He jogged after her before Joel or Tess could have a word with him. Joel and Tess looked at one another, Joel had a frown on his face while Tess had a smile on her face. They didn't say a word to each other, but it was clear what each of them had in mind. The two of them followed after the lovebirds, turning right at the corner. They jogged onward, jumping over an air conditioner before moving right a bit more as they reached some stairs, heading down them. Nathan and Daniella waited by a hole in a fence. "Over here," Nathan instructed even though Joel and Tess were close enough to them.

        Without a word, Joel went through the hole first, dropping down and landing in front of a long crate covered in a white blanket of sorts. Tess followed behind, Nathan and Daniella following right behind her one by one. As soon as all four of them were on the grounds of the courtyard, they heard talking and they all ducked down to hide behind the convenient crate, using it as cover. A dark skin-toned man and a light skin-toned man walked out of the building across from them, dressed in typical survival clothing.

        "More of Robert's guys," Tess whispered. They were going to have to either sneak by them, kill them soundlessly, or kill them loudly. Whatever got them to Robert quickly.

        "Yeah, no shit," Nathan whispered back. He rolled his eyes and reached for his weapon.

        Daniella grabbed his wrist. "Would you stop that?" she whispered in question. "You can't always rely on your gun when trouble arrives. We can do this without making a sound." Nathan stared at her, his hand over his gun. "Trust me," she added. Nathan moved his hand away from his gun. "Thank you."

        "How do you know they're coming?" the dark male asked his friend as they walked. The two of them were near where Joel, Tess, Daniella, and Nathan were hiding, but they had no clue the four of them were there, listening and waiting patiently to strike.

        "Two of our guys died trying to take Tess and Daniella out. Nathan was with our men and seeing as he hasn't came back, he's teamed up with those women. I guarantee that he is leading them and Joel. I guarantee they are on their way here, right now, to get Robert," the light male told his friend.

        "Jesus," the dark male stated. "We shouldn't a taken this job." The two of them were now at the far left of the crate the four hid behind, their backs to them.

        "Not our call," the light male pointed out. "Let's spread out and make sure no one's creeping around in here." He moved away from the dark male, heading further down the courtyard. The dark male moved slightly before stopping his movements, standing underneath a shelter of sorts. Tess took that time to finally act, creeping up behind the dark man and grabbing him, her hand over his mouth as she shoved a shiv into the man's throat. She released him and he grunted as he hit the groaned, his hands reaching for his neck as he gagged before finally becoming motionless.

        Joel started moving to take out the light man whom stood still beside an abandoned white supply carrying truck. As he moved to take out the light man, Daniella and Nathan were creeping towards the building labeled 'Spencer's'. They crouched by the first window of the building, watching as two of Robert's henchmen moved into the very room they were outside of. Inside that room were office supplies and an office desk. Both of the men were similar in color with the previous two, one standing in front of a shelf with his back towards them and the other standing beside the office desk, his back also towards them. Nathan creeped towards the man in front of the shelf while Daniella went for the other, both of them silently strangling the men as they tried to struggle.

        "That was easy," Daniella commented out loud after letting go of the unconscious man. "And look." She picked up a key that had fallen from the man's pockets. "He has a warehouse key," she continued, holding up the key as she said it. Joel and Tess entered the building.

        Joel looked at the two unconscious men on the floor and nodded. "You two did a fine job."

        Daniella smiled, happy with the little bit of praise. "Thanks, Dad."

        Joel walked over to his daughter and she held the key out to him. Joel took it and headed towards the door that was in the room. He unlocked the door before tossing the key aside, opening the door and heading through it with everyone following him, entering a garage. Once again, they were forced to hid behind something. Joel and Tess were able to hid behind sacks of supplies, but Nathan and Daniella were forced to quickly sneak across the room, heading by the divider wall and hiding behind a desk.

        "Hey, we consolidated the crates in the south warehouse. Supplies are locked up," one of the henchmen in the area stated to another. He wasn't exactly near the four but he was loud enough that they could hear him.

        "Good. Let's do another onceover and then head out. It's getting too close to curfew," another henchman replied, responding to the first one that had spoken.

        Daniella nudged Nathan's shoulder with her own, making him look at her as she looked at me. "Have they always cared about the curfew?" she whispered.

        Nathan shook his head. "No," he whispered in response. "Some of them usually sneak out to do drops and such. It's likely that they only care because they know we're heading this way."

        "But we're already here," Daniella pointed out, still whispering. It would be better for them to sneak through the entire warehouse instead of having a shootout.

        "I know that, but they don't," Nathan whispered, nodding towards the henchmen outside the building.

        "I know that," Daniella whispered back, mimicking him. He glared at her lightly and she just smiled at him. "I was just being a smartass," she added quietly.

        "What about Robert?" a henchman suddenly asked, making Daniella and Nathan both look away from each other and towards outside the building. They listened in, interested in hearing what would be said. "Who's he holing up with tonight? Guy's too paranoid to stay here by himself."

        "Fuck if I know," a friend of his answered. "We'll check in with the others and come up with something."

        Daniella held in a laugh. "I never took Robert as someone who'd ever get scared," she quietly stated.

        "You'd be surprised as to how many men can become complete wimps when a certain enemy arises," Nathan quietly told her.

        Daniella was about to say something else to him when gunfire sounded. They both looked to see that while Joel had managed to strangle one of the henchmen, he had been spotted doing so. "Shit!" she exclaimed, no longer quiet. She quickly pulled out her gun and moved out of her cover, moving to crouch by the open door that lead outside. She poked her head out as one of the three henchmen in that part of the area ran out in front of her, trying to run into the warehouse. She immediately fired a shot into the gun's neck, making him drop to the ground squirming slightly before he became still.

        "Kill them!" one of the five remaining henchmen yelled as he ran behind some cover.

        The gunfire did not cease, most of the shooting coming from Robert's men than from Joel, Tess, Daniella, and Nathan. It showed how reckless the henchmen were. Joel and Tess both took down a henchmen while a third headed straight for the side of the garage where Nathan and Daniella were located. "No!" Joel yelled, sprinting after the man. As the henchman prepared to either grab or hit Daniella, she quickly grabbed a bottle that laid by her and hit the man in the face with it, cutting the man with the glass as it shattered. The man fell and Joel got on him, beating the man to unconsciousness or perhaps even to death.

        Three more henchmen remained, them being inside of the warehouse. Without a word to one another, the four creeped into the warehouse; Joel and Tess entered the warehouse at the bottom level while Nathan and Daniella went up the stairs, entering the warehouse's upper level. Nathan had entered before Daniella and was immediately attacked by one of the remaining henchmen. Before the man could lay his second punch on Nathan, Daniella pushed the man off of him and raised her gun, pointing it at the man's head and pulling the trigger. The man dropped dead on the ground and Daniella helped Nathan to his feet.

        "Thanks," he quickly told her before he pulled himself and Daniella behind cover.

        In the lower level of the warehouse, Joel and Tess took turns popping their heads out to located the remaining henchmen. After several moments of looking and no gunfire, Joel and Tess both spotted the men cautiously walking down the stairs to where they were. They looked at each other and nodded before they both jumped out of their hiding place, firing one bullet each into one of the men's head. The men both fell down, sliding down the stairs and landing ungracefully on the solid floor.

        Nathan and Daniella moved to another part of the upper level and, after making sure no more henchmen were lurking around, gave Tess and Joel a thumbs up. Tess and Joel lowered their weapons. "We shoulda brought more people," Tess commented.

        "More?" Nathan questioned as he walked around the upper floor until he reached the stairs. He headed down them. "I'd say that the four of us did just fine by our lonesome." He looked at the dead men at the end of the stairs, stepping over them. "Glad that ain't me."

        "Where's Daniella?" Joel asked. She hadn't came down the stairs yet.

        "I'm coming!" Daniella yelled as she jogged around the upper floor. She had been searching for supplies, anything useful. She slowed down when she got to the stairs. "I found a health kit and a shiv. Put 'em in my bag. Nothin' was on the dead guys so we'll need to be more careful with our ammo."

        Upon hearing that, Tess checked the two men she and Joel had killed moments ago. She held up two packs of ammo. "Problem solved."

        "Slightly," Daniella said. "We'll have to split that as evenly as we can."

        After the ammo was evenly handed out, Tess pointed to the overhead door. "The docks are this way. Let's do this." Joel nodded and he gripped the chain to the right of the door, pulling the chain downward so that the door started opening. Once it was opened up enough, the four of them crouched under it and entered the wharf zone. They immediately hid behind a broken wall.

        Down below them were quite a few henchmen of Robert's and the man himself. The man in question was wearing a gray jacket with a black button shirt underneath it that was slightly shown due to the jacket being slightly unzipped. Robert's hair was short and brown, his eyes being brown as well. He seemed to be talking to one of his men before he nodded and turned away from the man, revealing his short hair to be in a short ponytail. Robert headed further into the wharf zone.

        "There's our boy," Tess commented. "That cocky son of a bitch."

        "Let's go wrap this up," Joel commented.

        "About damn time," Daniella commented impatiently. "Let's kick his ass."

        "And you call me the reckless one," Nathan remarked.

        "I never said I was going to be reckless," Daniella pointed out.

        "Hmph," Nathan grunted.

        The four of them dropped down into the shipyard. Many trailers and crates of supplies were within the area, giving them plenty options of hiding places. Out of unluckiness, their drops down made a loud enough noise that alerted the men closest to them. They wouldn't have been detected but Nathan had pulled his gun out quickly and left the cover, firing multiple shots into each of the men in seconds before he hid within one of the trailers. The men, though wounded, moved behind cover as well.

        "You idiot!" Daniella exclaimed. He may be her lover and good friend, but he was still an idiot. She raised her gun that she never put away and began firing at the approaching henchmen. Joel and Tess did the same, moving to different covers.

        There were about ten henchmen in the area. Nathan had wounded three of them. Out of all the henchmen, two of them had wooden planks for a weapon. As Joel and Tess fired at the henchmen aiming for them, which was a total of four, one of the men with a melee weapon went around, trying to flank them. Daniella easily took him down with one shot to the head before she quickly went back behind her cover as two henchmen fired at her. Nathan quickly and easily took out the three henchmen he wounded, though it took some time as they constantly moved back behind cover. He looked to see that while one of the men firing at Dani continued to do so, the other stopped and picked up his melee weapon as he moved around cover to cover. Nathan ran at the man and punch him, making the man let go of the wooden plank. Nathan picked it up and beat the man in the head with it until it broke, not caring that the man had died long before he finished beating him. The man firing at Daniella turned his gun to fire at Nathan, but Daniella fired a shot into the man's head, killing him. Finally, Joel and Tess finished off the last of the henchmen.

        As they searched the mens's corpses, Nathan went over to Daniella and kissed her cheek. Daniella smiled and tilted her head. "What was that for?" she asked.

        "For saving me from being killed. Twice," Nathan answered. "In other words, thank you."

        Daniella laughed a bit. "Oh, so you're copying my words now?"

        "That's right," Nathan answered with a sly smile.

        "Well, in that case, you missed," Daniella told him. She quickly leaned towards him and laid a kiss upon his lips. Surprised, Nathan didn't kiss back or try to keep her close to him as she pulled away just as quickly as she kissed him. "You're welcome," she whispered before walking away from him, heading across the shipyard.

        "I. You. Wow," Nathan babbled out, blush slowly appearing in his cheeks. He placed his right hand to his lips and touched them lightly with his fingers. He didn't notice when Joel and Tess approached him.

        Tess let out a small laugh. "You alright there, tiger?"

        "Huh? What?" Nathan blinked and looked at her. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Uh, um, we should be going. Robert might run off if we don't hurry." He quickly moved away from them, heading across the shipyard to where Robert's office was.

        "She kissed him," Joel commented. He wasn't pleased.

        "That she did, Joel," Tess stated. "Don't give the boy a rough time when he wasn't the one who kissed her first."

        "I wasn't going to do anything," Joel denied.

        "I'm sure you weren't," Tess said, not believing him for a second. She sprinted after Nathan with Joel following her. Daniella was already at the door and Nathan had only just got to her. "You two ready?" Tess asked them.

        "Been ready," Daniella stated.

        "Let's do this," Nathan said.

        Tess opened the door and entered the small room. At the end of it and towards the left, there was another door and she opened it, immediately moving to take cover against the wall as shots were fired into the room she, Joel, Nathan, and Daniella were in. "We just wanna talk, Robert."

        "We ain't go fuckin' nothing to talk about!" Robert yelled as he fired more rounds at the door.

        "Put your gun down," Tess instructed calmly. She made sure not to get in the way of gunfire.

        Robert attempted to continue firing but he soon realized he was out of ammo. "Go fuck yourself!" he yelled as he ran out the back door of his office after tossing his gun at them.

        "He's running!" Tess yelled.

        "I can fuckin' see that!" Daniella yelled. She took off after him, followed by the others. Daniella slammed the door open and followed after Robert, keeping up with him as he yelled insults and knocked things in her path. She followed him through the alleyway, into another building, and out of a window. He had been a little bit ahead of her and the others, but they were still able to catch him. He was shaking a fence door, unable to get it open and he had no time to climb over it. Daniella smirked as she watched him attempt to open the fence door a few more times, crossing her arms as she watched.

        "You aren't going anywhere, Robert," Nathan stated, smirking as well. He stood beside Daniella.

        Robert let out a grunt as he attempted one more time. "Come on." He hit the fence when he finally came to terms that he wouldn't be able to get to the other side of it. He rubbed his face.

        "Hello, Robert," Tess greeted, smirking.

        Robert turned towards the four of them. "Tess. Joel. Nathan. Daniella, darling. No hard feelings, right?"

        "None at all," Tess stated sarcastically as she bent over and picked up a pipe.

        "Don't call me darling," Daniella told him.

        Robert opened his mouth as if he were going to respond when he broke into a sprint, trying to bolt past them. Tess, having seen that coming, clubbed him in his kneecap causing him to fall over. "Ah, goddammit!" he yelled in pain as he placed his hand on his knee.

        Tess tossed the pipe aside as she strode to stand behind Robert. Nathan and Daniella leaned up against the wall, ready to enjoy the show. Daniella had wanted to deal with the bastard herself, but watching her father and her close friend do the job instead was fine by her. Joel remained where he was, waiting for the signal he knew Tess would give him. "We missed you," Tess told Robert.

        "Look, whatever it is you heard, it ain't true, okay?" Robert tried to get himself out of the mess he was in. He wasn't ready to die. Daniella scoffed at his attempts and Nathan rolled his eyes. "I just want to say-"

        "The guns," Tess interrupted him. "You wanna tell us where the guns are?" she asked him.

        Robert gulped. "Yeah, sure, but..." He hesitated to continue for a few seconds. "...It's complicated. Alright?" Tess looked at Joel and nodded. Joel moved towards Robert. "Look, alright, just hear me out on this. I gotta-" Joel kicked him in the face and stood poised to break Robert's arm. Robert's nose bleed and began to purple, showing that it was obviously broken. His right eye was bloody at its corner, bruising immediately appearing as a result; he had a black eye.

        "Fuck..." Robert groaned. "Ah, stop, stop, stop!" He panicked when he realized what Joel was doing. It would hurt like hell, he knew that for sure, and he definitely didn't want that just as much as he didn't want to die.

        Daniella laughed. "This is going to be fun to watch. Well, more fun." She was really enjoying the moment.

        "Can't wait to hear him scream," Nathan commented. "He deserves it."

        "Mhm," Daniella agreed.

        Tess walked around Robert and Joel. She crouched so she could be in front of Robert's face. She mentally sighed as she noticed he was squirming, trying to get out of Joel's tight grip. "Quit your squirmin'," she told him. "You were saying?"

        Robert answered after a few seconds. "I sold 'em."

        "Excuse me?" Tess questioned, not liking the answer.

        "He's dead," Daniella whispered. Nathan nodded in agreement.

        Robert started to explain or at least tried to explain. "I didn't have much of a choice. I owed someone."

        "You owed us," Tess pointed out. "I say you bet on the wrong horse." She was clearly angry with him.

        "I just need more time. Just gimme a week," Robert begged. He wanted to buy time to get away. Like hell would he give them what they wanted. He just wanted to live.

        "You know, I might've done that if you hadn't tried to fucking kill me," Tess stated. She wasn't letting him get away with this like all the other times.

        "C'mon, it wasn't like-" Robert tried again to get out of the mess he was in. He had absolutely no chance of surviving the shit he was in.

        "Who has our guns?" Tess asked.

        "I can't," Robert said, trying to avoid answering the question. "Just gimme a couple days-" He let out a yelp as his arm was broken by Joel. "Fucking..." He let out pain filled grunts. Daniella and Nathan smiled in satisfaction; they quite enjoyed seeing that.

        "Who has our guns?" Tess asked again, a bit more aggressively.

        "It's the Fireflies," Robert finally answered. "I owed the Fireflies."

        "What?" Tess questioned. She definitely didn't like that answer.

        "Look, they're basically all dead. We can just... Just go in there, finish 'em off. We get the guns. Whaddya say?" Robert, once again and for the final time, was trying to get himself out of trouble. He was desperate, he wanted out of that mess some way and somehow. "C'mon. Fuck those Fireflies. Let's go get 'em." Nathan and Daniella removed themselves from the wall, scoffing. Tess, Joel, Nathan, and Daniella looked at one another as they stood beside one another again. Robert gulped, hoping that they were considering the idea.

        Tess shook her head and looked back at Robert. "That is a stupid idea," she told Robert before she pointed her gun at him, shooting him in the head twice...

 


	10. Marlene

        Tess, Joel, Nathan, and Daniella stood grouped together by the corpse of Robert; Joel was to Tess's left and Daniella was to Tess's right, Nathan right beside Daniella to her right. Tess had just shot the bastard, Robert, in the head twice, ending his life. The man that they had been hunting down was finally dead and they no longer had to deal with him or his goons because they were all taken out. Even if Robert had a few men left over, they would be too scared to face the four of them once they came across the corpses of their many friends because going after them would be considered suicide.

        A very satisfied smirk was on Daniella's face. She lightly tapped Robert's corpse with her foot. "Have fun in Hell," she commented as she stared down at the corpse. He deserved what he had gotten. He had tried to have her and Tess killed. He had even tried his damned best to attempt to get out of that situation, but they had all known that he'd just send more of his men after them. They also had known that he wouldn't be leaving the situation alive.

        "As enjoyable as that was," Nathan began, his left eyebrow raised. "Was it really necessary to shoot him in the face two times?" One shot would've been enough to do him in, not two. It was just a waste of precious ammo.

        Tess shrugged. "More or less. The first shot was to kill him, but the second one was just personal." Robert had tried to have her killed earlier that day, after all, and not just her. Of course she was going to do a bit more than just shoot him once. She would've shot him, at least, five times all together if she had really wanted to, but everything has its limits and shooting him that many times was just a bit overboard.

        Daniella placed her left hand on Tess's shoulder. "I don't blame ya. I would've done the same exact thing. Bastard deserved it." Indeed he did.

        "Personal or not, it was a waste of ammo," Nathan commented, speaking his opinion. Daniella sent a look his way before rolling her eyes.

        After Nathan had spoken, it was silent for a few seconds before Joel finally spoke himself. "Well, now what?" he questioned as he broke the short silence that had been between them. They had gotten rid of Robert, but were empty handed.

        "We go get our merchandise back," Tess stated. They might as well while they were out and about. She stepped forward as she moved past Daniella and Nathan. She had moved so that she stood by Robert's head and she turned to face Joel, Daniella, and Nathan, her back to the bricked building behind her.

        "How?" Joel questioned her. He stared at her along with Daniella and Nathan.

        "Do you expect us to just waltz into the Firefly camp and start firing at random?" Nathan asked Tess. "We need some kind of plan. We can't just walk into their camp like it's nothing either."

        Joel turned his head, looking at Nathan. "We? This was the end of the line for you. So, I suggest you run along, son." In his mind, Nathan no longer needed to be there. They had only needed him to get to Robert. Robert was long gone so that meant that Nathan should get moving onward to someplace else.

        Nathan looked back at him and smirked. "You can't get rid of me that easily." He wasn't just going to leave Daniella behind like she was nothing.

        Daniella huffed, letting out a loud sigh. "Dad, Nathan. Don't start." She felt like she was their mother, having to keep them from arguing with one another. It was beginning to get a little annoying to her. She had been hoping that her father was warming up to Nathan with the times he saved her, but nope, far from it. The temporary alliance was over with and she hated it because now, her lover and her father were back to being immature with one another. You'd think they'd know better than to have petty arguments with times being as they were, but they weren't the only ones who were like that in the new world they lived in. "What exactly do you want us to do?" Daniella asked Tess as she turned her attention towards her.

        Tess shrugged, holding her arms out. "I don't know. We explain it to them." She placed her arms down and tilted her head slightly as she looked at her three friends. "Look, let's... Let's go find a Firefly."

        "You won't have to look very far," a new voice commented, the voice belonging to a woman. Daniella, Nathan, and Joel looked towards their right, turning their bodies a bit, too, while Tess looked to her left, doing the same. Walking around the corner of the bricked building was an African-American woman with long-ish black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing brown jeans, dark shoes, a worn out blue denim jacket over a pale purple hoodie, and a green top underneath both the jacket and hoodie. Her left arm was around her torso, her left hand over a small part of her right side; it was clear that she had been wounded by something, perhaps she had been shot. She went by the name Marlene and she was a Firefly.

        "There you go," Joel told Tess as he stepped forward a bit to be beside her. He gestured towards Marlene. "Queen Firefly."

        Daniella took only a step or two forward, not exactly standing to her father's right but was close enough to doing so. "Marlene," she greeted, her tone not exactly friendly nor exactly hateful. Her relations with Marlene were...complicated, to say the least; she neither liked Marlene nor hated her, feeling quite conflicted about what the hell she thought about the leader of the Fireflies. She felt Nathan's right arm wrap around her right side and she fought back the urge to smile.

        "Daniella," Marlene greeted back, her tone the same as Daniella's. Her eyes were only on Daniella, and Nathan, for a second before she turned her attention to mainly just Joel and Tess. "Why are you here?"

        "Business," Tess responded simply. She nodded towards Marlene's wounded side. "You aren't looking so hot."

        Marlene looked down at her wound for a moment, slightly lifting her left hand off it before placing her hand back down over it firmly. She looked back up and she turned her head a bit, her eyes searching around the area. "Where's Robert?" she asked them. Daniella turned her head slightly to share a look with Nathan whom had raised his right eyebrow at the ridiculous question. Joel and Tess simply just kept their eyes on Marlene as Tess stepped aside, holding her left arm out as she presented the corpse of Robert to Marlene. How she hadn't seen him or hadn't heard the two gunshots, no one knew. Marlene looked down at the ground, shaking her head a bit before she, once again, looked back up, her attention now just on Tess and no one else. "I needed him alive."

        Daniella didn't really give two shits. "Yeah, well, we needed him dead." She felt Nathan's grip on her torso tighten slightly.

        "Damn straight," Nathan muttered, laying his head on Daniella's left shoulder. Though it wasn't the time for any public display of any type of affection, Nathan felt like putting his hands on his girlfriend. It was just something he felt like doing and something he was quite enjoying actually. Marlene glanced in their direction for just a second before returning her gaze to Tess.

        Tess was now standing in front of Joel a bit, her attention remaining on Marlene alone. "The guns he gave you, they weren't his to sell. I want them back." Behind her, Joel was looking around just because and he wasn't saying a word; not in that moment, at least. Daniella and Nathan were still located a little bit behind both Joel and Tess, both having grown silent as they listened to the conversation.

        "Doesn't work like that, Tess," Marlene told her. She wasn't just going to hand them back over without anything in return.

        "The hell it doesn't." Tess was remaining calm in the situation, somehow. Anyone else would've exploded in anger when hearing that they wouldn't be getting their shit back just like that.

        "I paid for those guns," Marlene informed her. She took several steps forward, moving closer to them, to Tess. "You want 'em back, you're gonna have to earn 'em." She needed help and since Robert was dead along with most of her people, she had no choice but to ask her...temporary 'friends'.

        Tess was quiet for a moment. She turned and looked at Joel; he had raised his right hand to his mouth and he shared a look with her when their eyes met. She looked at the lovebirds next, both eyeing her silently though Daniella nodded shortly at her, signalling her to go for whatever she had in mind. Tess looked back at Marlene. "How many cards are we talking about?" Daniella let out a small sigh from behind her.

        "I don't give a damn about ration cards," Marlene stated. "I need something smuggled out of the city. You do that, I'll give you your guns and then some."

        Joel stepped forward, his arms now crossed. He stopped moving once he was beside Tess again, standing to her left. "How do we know you got 'em?" he asked Marlene. He started stepping towards her slowly as he continued. "Way I hear it, the military's been wiping you guys out." He stood right in front of her, staring at her.

        Marlene nodded slightly as she turned her head to the side a bit. "You're right about that." She looked back at him, nodding still. "I'll show you the weapons."

        "Search the area," they all heard a man say from inside one of the buildings next to them all. They had all turned their heads in the direction of the sudden voice. The person was definitely inside since he wasn't in sight.

        "Yes, sir," someone responded to the man. He wasn't in sight either, indicating that he was also inside a building near them, the same as the man that spoke first.

        "I see you've brought 'friends' with you," Nathan commented, removing his arm from Daniella. It had now became a fight or flight scenario, sort of.

        "How nice," Daniella sarcastically remarked.

        "I gotta move." Marlene started stepping backwards, away from them. "What's it gonna be?"

        "I wanna see those guns," Tess stated, deciding that the four of them would be going with Marlene instead of staying there to deal with some of the military.

        "Follow me," Marlene instructed as she turned around, heading to a certain corner of a building. Tess, Joel, Nathan, and Daniella followed right behind her, silent. They followed Marlene up the steps beside the corner of the building she had ran to, entering a small area surrounded mostly by fences and with only one way through. They turned left, walking by shipping crates and they followed Marlene down the wide alleyway, parkouring over a line of crates that were covered slightly by a blue sheet. They moved forward a few steps and stopped, watching as Marlene climbed the wooden boxes in front of them and watching her pull down a ladder. Marlene began going up it silently and, one by one, the rest of them followed behind her. Together, they all went up the fire escape. A loud explosion across the street caught their attention.

        "Holy fuck!" Daniella exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest. "That scared the shit outta me. Oh, man." Her heart was racing. Nathan laughed at her. She glared at him. "It's not funny."

        "Oh, but it is," Nathan told her. "You're cute when you get a little startled." He kissed her forehead as she pouted. Joel let out a grunt at the scene displaying, but said nothing.

        Tess stared at where the explosion had happened, seeing the smoke and some flames. "Is that your people?" she asked Marlene.

        "What's left of them. Why do you think I'm turning to you guys?" Marlene stepped onto the rooftop to their right. "This way." Joel and Tess followed, Daniella about to follow them when Nathan held onto her arm.

        "What?" Daniella questioned.

        "Nothing. It's just..." Nathan half-smiled. "I'm glad you had left their group or you wouldn't..." He didn't finish his sentence. He knew that she could still die regardless, but delaying the inevitable was something that all survivors were good at except some have been lasting longer than others.

        Daniella smiled lightly. "Yeah. Lucky me, hmm?" She looked away from him and walked onto the rooftop, following the others with Nathan walking quietly behind her.

        "So, why now?" Joel asked Marlene as they approached a busted-out window.

        "We've been quiet. Been planning on leaving the city, but they need a scapegoat. They've been trying to rile us up," Marlene explained.

        "Looks like they did," Joel stated.

        "We're trying to defend ourselves," Marlene said.

        "And what good has that done?" Nathan questioned. "By the looks of it, you hardly have anyone left." Marlene didn't respond as she hopped into the warehouse through the window that had approached. Everyone followed one by one.

        Marlene approached the only door in the room. The door was blue and large. She attempted to open it alone, but was unable to. "Joel, give me a hand with this." Joel approached the door, helping Marlene push the door open with ease. Marlene was the first through the door, heading down the staircase.

        "Hey, how you holding up?" Tess asked her as she followed. Joel, Daniella, and Nathan were behind her.

        "I'll live," Marlene answered. She reached the bottom of the stairs that lead outside. She jogged lightly over to a large crate, hiding behind it. Joel, Tess, Daniella, and Nathan quickly caught up with her. "Hold up," Marlene whispered to them, making them stop behind her. However, it didn't stop them from peeking out to see why they were hiding. From what they could see, a guard was patrolling in front of a door far across from them. They knew that he couldn't be the only guard around so they would have to stay on alert in that area. "Soldiers. That's the way out. The door under the bridge."

        "Ain't a big fan of these odds," Joel commented lowly.

        "We can sneak by them," Marlene stated quietly. "Even though I know that's not your style." She narrowed her eyes at Nathan. She may had only seen him a few times, but she knew that he was a reckless young man. She also knew that Joel and Tess were the same way at times, at least that is what she heard from others, but her main concern was Nathan causing their deaths.

        Nathan placed his hands up in the air as if he were surrendering. "You caught me red-handed." He rolled his eyes as he placed his hands back down. "I'll behave. I've got my girlfriend to keep me cool."

        A surprised look appeared on Marlene's face as she eyed both Nathan and Daniella now. She was, however, only slightly surprised because the two didn't seem like the perfect match for each other in her eyes. "You are together?"

        "Do you honestly care?" Daniella hissed quietly in question.

        "Not really," Marlene answered honestly.

        "Then shut the hell up," Daniella told her, resulting in Marlene glaring at her. "And lead the way." Marlene let out a sigh and nodded, moving out from the cover and sneaking around each of the convenient wood crates in front of them. The others maneuvered stealthy after her, following her lead and meeting up with her at the steps to the left. They all quietly moved up the stairs and while Joel, Tess, and Marlene hid behind yet another crate, Nathan and Daniella quietly entered the open door right beside the three.

        "You know, you're really hot when you're angry," Nathan whispered to her as they creeped towards the exit of the room they were in.

        "Shut up," Daniella hissed at him lowly. "You'll get us found out."

        Exiting to the far hall, Daniella silently hopped over the desk that blocked the path and she immediately wrapped her right arm around the guard at the next door's neck while her left hand quickly went over his mouth. She had been lucky that the man hadn't been looking in her direction. Across from her, the second guard standing post at the opposite door was dropping to the ground dead, having just been taken out by Marlene via a shiv to his throat. Daniella released the guard she was holding as soon as he stopped struggling, letting him drop to the ground.

        "Damn, that was sexy," Nathan whispered to her as he hopped over the desk behind her, it being the same one she had went over.

        Blush rushing to her cheeks, Daniella turned her head to look at him. "Don't you ever shut up?" she complained, still remaining quiet because of the few remaining guards nearby.

        "Sometimes," Nathan answered hushedly.

        "Doesn't seem that way," Daniella informed him. She moved to the left of the room. She could hear Tess, Joel, Marlene, and Nathan following her. They all entered the storage room quietly and approached the window to the left. Outside of it was a guard who had his back towards them. Daniella made a move to climb out the window, but Joel laid his hand on her shoulder and shook his head; he wasn't risking her getting scene. Daniella looked annoyed but she gestured for him to go ahead; she knew that he was more experienced with this sort of thing and knew it was more unlikely for him to get caught.

        Joel climbed out of the window silently and he quickly strangled the man, releasing him once the deed was done. He, then, headed over to the far left side, staying behind the crates. Tess, Marlene, and Daniella followed his lead. However, as soon as they were grouped together, they noticed Nathan wasn't with them. The dumbass was trying to sneak up behind a guard standing at the end of the bridge just as the guard from under the bridge climbed the stairs and turned in his direction.

        "Straggler!" the guard yelled as he spotted Nathan.

        "Shit!" Nathan dove behind a crate as the three remaining guards started firing at him, the third running from the middle of the bridge to where the other two guards were.

        "That damn idiot," Daniella mumbled, shaking her head. " _He'll be the death of me for sure."_ She got out of her cover as she pulled out her weapon, firing multiple shots into one guard, killing him. She didn't bother going back behind cover as she started firing at a second guard. Joel, Tess, and Marlene popped their heads out every now and then to fire at a guard but the bullets never hit their targets. As Daniella took out a second guard, the last one that remained turned his attention to her. He had moved back towards where he came, the stairs that lead to under the bridge, and he had been hiding behind a crate. He poked his whole body out as he prepared to shoot Daniella.

        "NO!" Nathan shouted as he witnessed this from where he was, shooting the last guard in the head, ending him. Nathan was grateful that he himself had moved out of his hiding place to notice that the guard was about to possibly kill Daniella. He ran over to her as she moved to the other side of the crate; Joel, Tess, and Marlene stood back up straight but remained behind the crate for a few seconds. Nathan pulled Daniella into a hug as soon as she had put her gun away. Nathan had simply dropped his to the ground. "Don't fucking do that again."

        "Huh?" Daniella questioned, confused.

        "You didn't go back behind cover," Nathan pointed out. "Don't fucking do that again. That last dickhead could've killed you if I hadn't moved when I did."

        "Oh... Well, I can't help that you are influencing me when your recklessness," Daniella told him. "That's the third time you've saved me, I believe." Perhaps he saved her more than that.

        "Today or since we've met?" Nathan teased, keeping her in a hug.

        "...Shut up," she pouted, finally returning the hug.

        "We need to get moving," Marlene informed the lovebirds as she headed towards the stairs by the last guard. Tess followed close behind her and Joel, after sending a disapproving look at Nathan as he went by, was soon close behind them both.

        Nathan sighed. "Yes ma'am." He removed his arms from Daniella and he strode back over to where he had dropped his gun, picking it up and putting it back in its place. Daniella stood in place, waiting for him and they both walked after Marlene, Tess, and Joel together...


	11. Cargo, My Ass

        Daniella and Nathan were the last ones to get to the door below the overpass, meeting up with Joel, Tess, and Marlene. No words were spoken in that very moment, the main focus being that they should move on before more soldiers appeared. Joel was the one to open the door and head inside first, the women following behind him before Nathan entered last. Together, Daniella and Tess barricaded the door shut with duo lockers as soon as the door had been closed behind them.

        Tess turned towards Marlene. "Where are we going, Marlene?"

        Marlene was hunched over, her left arm still around her torso with her hand over her wound at her right side. She was panting a bit. After a few seconds, she was no longer hunched over and she started moving across the storage room they had entered. "This way," she finally answered. She started leading the way to the next area with everyone behind her. "It's not far now."

        Nathan and Daniella hung back behind everyone, something that was becoming almost routine for them that day. They were holding hands but they weren't speaking to one another. 'Least, not until they were half-way across the room. Nathan had spoken first. "Think she'll be alright in the end?" he whispered to Daniella. He may be loudly rude at times but he didn't want to be caught talking about her in case karma came and bit him in the ass.

        "I'm surprised she made it this far," Daniella whispered back, answering honestly. She didn't think much of Marlene. She had always found the woman to be annoying, bossy, and very damn stubborn when it came to...issues regarding the Fireflies. "I don't think she'll last much longer and I am not talking 'bout from her current wound. Her group is being hunted down. All hope is lost for them," she continued, still whispering. Joel, Tess, and Marlene didn't glance back towards them, indicating that maybe they hadn't heard any of the whispering but it was unlikely since it was completely silent other than the whispering; if they had heard anything, it appeared they didn't want to make any comments on the matter.

        "That's something we both agree on, sweetness," Nathan mumbled, admitting that he was thinking the same thing. The Fireflies were done for and all they were doing now was delaying the inevitable. He and Daniella grew silent as they all got to the first exit at the end of the room, going through it one by one.

        "How ya holding up?" Tess asked Marlene as soon as all of them entered the next room. No one's walking ceased, everyone continuing onward as the short conversation began.

        "I'm running on fumes...but I'll make it," Marlene answered. She went through the next exit, heading outside. "The place is right up ahead," she continued.

        As she and the others entered the basement of the next building, the loudspeaker woman's voice suddenly filled the air. "Attention. Curfew is now in full effect. Anyone caught outside without the proper authorization will be arrested and prosecuted."

        "Shit," Tess commented as she followed Marlene up the staircase, leading to a kitchen. Joel, Nathan, and Daniella followed behind her, Joel no longer being beside her and the lovebirds no longer being too far towards the back. "We need to hurry."

        Daniella was growling under her breath. "I wish I could break that bitch's neck. She is so...gah." The woman's voice was so irritating. Daniella could do ten times better than her. Nathan chuckled at Daniella soft rage.

        They all stopped walking for a bit, standing within the kitchen. "What the hell are we smuggling?" Joel decided to ask. Whatever they were smuggling better be worth the trouble they were going through and were going to continue to go through.

        "I'll show you." Marlene approached a door and attempted to open, failing to do so. It was the easiest thing to open and even a severely injured person could open it yet she could not. She leaned against the door a bit. "Joel, give me a hand with this."

        Joel approached to where Marlene stood and reached forward, grabbed the handle of the door, pushing it down while pushing forward on it. As soon as the door opened, Marlene moved forward with it and was soon practically on the ground, panting more. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Joel softly remarked. He leaned over, ready to help her up. "Come on now, get on up." He continued speaking in a soft tone as he was about to help her up.

        "Get the fuck away from her!" A young girl with auburn hair, bright green eyes, fair skin with freckles, a scar on her right eyebrow, and a thin stature suddenly appeared and she was moving towards Joel quickly. She was wearing a red short sleeved shirt, a long sleeved dark shirt underneath the red one, and blue jeans, a backpack strapped to her back. She had a knife in her hand and she was very much ready to cause some harm considering she didn't know that Marlene was being helped, not harmed. The young girl was, quite clearly, protective of Marlene, showing that the two must have some sort of close bond.

        Joel turned towards the girl but Tess was the one to stop her, strolling up to the girl quickly after entering the room, catching the girl's right arm so that the knife was kept at bay. "Hey, hey, hey," Tess had commented seconds before she caught the girl's arm. She stared at the girl and the girl stared back at her.

        "Whoa," Daniella lowly commented as soon as she finally entered the room next with Nathan right on her ass. She eyed the young girl curiously but didn't comment again. She was a bit surprised to see the girl there but seeing as Tess had to stop her from doing anything, she was curious about the girl's personality. She looked no more than fourteen years old, most definitely young enough to have been born during those horrible times. Daniella could already tell the two of them had something in common: they were both raised during shitty times, the girl since birth and Daniella since she was seven. She hoped that the cruel world they were living in didn't harden the young girl so quickly in life, hoping that she was still innocent in more ways than one. Remaining behind her, Nathan remained silent but he, too, eyed the young girl curiously as he and Daniella remained by the door.

        "Let her go," Marlene commented as she watched the young girl struggle to get her arm released by Tess. Tess let go of the young girl's arm as soon as Marlene's command had been fully spoken, but her eyes remained on the girl as she watched the girl yank her arm away from her, eyeing her still also.

        Joel looked away from the young girl, looking down at Marlene who was struggling to get up. "You're recruitin' kind of young, aren't ya?"

        "She's not one of mine," Marlene revealed as she finally got up on her own, heading towards a counter she could sit in or lean against. Whichever were more possible for her to do with her injury.

        The young girl looked towards Marlene at last and immediately noticed her wound. "Shit." She quickly put her knife away and she moved to help Marlene, Joel stepping aside to give the two some space as he moved to stand Tess's left and Daniella's right, all of them crowding at the door. The door was closed by Nathan but he remained directly in front of it. "What happened?" the young girl asked Marlene.

        "Don't worry," Marlene reassured the young girl. "This is fixable. I got us help...but I can't come with you." As soon as she had made that remark, Daniella's eyes widened in realization; the girl was what they were smuggling...and she didn't like that one fucking bit.

        "Well, then I'm staying," the young girl insisted. She didn't want to leave her friend behind. She didn't want to travel with complete strangers.

        "Ellie," Marlene breathed out, revealing the girl's name at long last. "We won't get another shot at this." It needed to be done soon or it wouldn't be happening at all.

        Joel moved away from where he stood, having caught on with what the two were saying. "Hey." He pointed towards Ellie, staring at Marlene. "We're smuggling her?" he questioned, wanting some clarification in case he was assuming wrong.

        "This is bullshit," Daniella muttered under her breath. She couldn't believe this. They were being asked to smuggle a girl. There's no way they'd accept that request now, right? It just wasn't right in Daniella's eyes. She felt Nathan tighten his hold on her hand but that didn't make her feel any better in the situation they were in. If, in the end, Ellie was going to be smuggled by them, Daniella would be a part of it regardless so that there would be, at least, one person who would actually treat her like a human being and not just 'precious cargo'.

        Marlene didn't exactly answer Joel's question but she didn't completely avoid answering as well. "There's a crew of Fireflies that'll meet you at the Capitol building."

        Tess, who had decided to pace around the room they were in instead of just standing around, sighed and looked at Marlene as she slowly approached her. "That's not exactly close."

        "You're capable," Marlene told her. "You hand her off, come back, the weapon are yours. Double what Robert sold me."

        "Speaking of which, where are they?" Tess questioned as she remained in place finally, still staring at Marlene. Joel had move around the room, him now being located to Tess's left from where she stood at the left of Marlene. Nathan and Daniella remained at the door, somewhat behind where Ellie was standing.

        "Back in our camp," Marlene revealed.

        Tess looked towards Joel who had looked towards Marlene again, his arms crossed. Tess looked back at Marlene. "We're not smuggling shit until I see them."

        "What?!" Daniella exclaimed, causing Nathan, Joel, and even Ellie to look in her direction. She was genuinely surprised. Tess was actually considering the deal even after learning of whom they were smuggling? That was just completely bullshit! They can't just smuggle a person!

        Marlene's eyes remained on Tess. "You'll follow me. You can verify the weapons." She glanced down at her wound. "I can get patched up."

        Nathan released Daniella's hand and he stepped forward, looking towards Tess. "I'll go with ya, Tess. Just in case."

        Tess nodded. "Alright."

        Marlene pointed at Ellie. "She's not crossing to that part of town. I want Joel to watch over her. With Daniella." She wanted Ellie to remain safe.

        Joel immediately uncrossed his arms and moved forward towards Marlene a bit, getting close to her again. "Whoa, whoa. I don't think that's the best idea." He didn't want the girl to be in his care, regardless that Daniella would be with him. He had spoken his opinion just as Ellie had exclaimed, "Bullshit! I'm not going with them!"

        "I don't think any of this shit is a good idea..." Daniella commented lowly. She blinked seconds later when Ellie's comment had registered in her brain. "What the hell did I do?" she questioned. Everyone heard her but the only person who responded to what she said was Nathan.

        "You did nothing but that doesn't mean she should trust you immediately," he told her as he turned around to face her.

        Daniella glared at him a bit. "I know that much. I ain't stupid." She crossed her arms.

        "Ellie..." Marlene sighed.

        "How do you know them?" Ellie questioned softly.

        Marlene immediately began to explain as she stared at Ellie. "I was close with his brother, Tommy. Said if I was ever in a jam, I could rely on him." She didn't bother stating Daniella's relation toward Joel and Tommy, not finding it all that important.

        "Was that before or after he left your little militia group?" Joel questioned.

        Marlene looked at him. "He left you and Daniella, too. He was a good man."

        Daniella clenched her fists and she uncrossed her arms, moving away from the door at last. She glared at Marlene as Marlene turned her attention towards her. Ellie eyed her as well. "Don't say 'was' like he's dead. He just isn't around these parts anymore."

        "Right," Marlene whispered. That was true.

        Tess looked at Joel and she moved towards him a bit since he had moved away from her again. Nathan noticed and he looked towards Daniella, gripping her right arm and pulling her towards him as he moved to group up with Joel and Tess. "Look, just take her to the north tunnel. Wait for me and Nathan there," Tess told Joel and Daniella. Ellie watched them all as they interacted with one another, listening to what they said. Marlene only listened, her eyes on her wound.

        "Jesus Christ," Joel commented, shaking his head. He didn't like this. Daniella only sighed in response. She still couldn't believe they were actually going to do this.

        "She's just cargo, Joel," Tess commented.

        Daniella exploded in rage at the comment, glaring at Tess. She waved her hands and arms around, gesturing as she spoke. "The fuck she is! She's a person, not an object! I don't like this at all!"

        "Dani-" Tess tried to speak.

        Daniella didn't allow her to do so. "Don't you 'Dani' me!" She walked past them, heading around their little inner circle, going to the opposite of where she had been standing which had been somewhat in front of Marlene with her back towards her. "Cargo, my ass!" She turned around and face everyone in the room. She was fuming with rage. Ellie was a human being and she needed to be treated like one, not like some worthless or valuable object.

        "I agree with Tess, Daniella," Nathan commented.

        Daniella placed her hands on her hips as she glared at Nathan. "Excuse me?" Not even her boyfriend was going to side with her on the matter at hand? She knew her father didn't want to have Ellie in his care but she was sure he didn't care about what they were smuggling as long as they got something in the end.

        "She's just cargo. All we gotta do is move her to where she is needed, come back, and get the shit we were promised. I will admit that I don't like that it's a young girl we're smuggling but shit happens," Nathan explained, revealing his own opinion on the matter.

        "We?" Joel questioned. He recrossed his arms and he stared at Nathan coldly.

        Nathan smirked. "I already told ya that you can't get rid of me easily."

        Daniella shook her head, her voice finally lowering. "I can't believe this... How am I the only one who cares that a person is whom we are smuggling?" She leaned against the wall near her. "This is bullshit..."

        Ellie finally looked away from them, looking towards her friend again. "Marlene..."

        Marlene shook her head. "No more talking." She nodded slightly. "You'll be fine. Now, go with them."

        Joel looked at Marlene and Ellie for a slit second before he looked at Tess. "Don't take long." He looked towards Ellie. "And you. Stay close." He headed towards the door that was located right beside Daniella to her left. "Let's go." He opened the door. Ellie took one last look at Marlene before she walked after Joel, exiting the door right behind him.

        Daniella sighed as she removed herself from the wall and she caught the door before it shut. "I can't believe this..." she mumbled before she followed Joel and Ellie outside, not saying bye to Tess and Nathan...


	12. Bonding or Interrogation?

        Joel, Daniella, and Ellie stood outside of the building they exited just moments beforehand. Silence remained between the three of them as they momentarily stood there, shifting on their feet ever so slightly. The light breeze made a soft whooshing sound and it made the weeds in the concrete ground gust in the same direction it was blowing. The three of them were surrounded by buildings and to their far left was a street that was blocked off by a fence. Joel looked between Daniella and Ellie before he turned away from them, heading across the street they stood on to where three corpses of men laid. Daniella and Ellie slowly followed behind him.

        "Whoa..." Ellie commented as she laid her eyes on the three corpses. "I heard all the shooting but..." She looked towards Daniella whom remained to her left. "What happened?" she asked her since she was closest, in range, to her. That and Daniella seemed more likely to answer her questions.

        "Fireflies," Daniella softly answered, her arms still crossed. She stared at the corpses. "They've..." She wanted to say that the Fireflies were causing mischief but she immediately recalled that Marlene, Queen of the Fireflies, was friends with Ellie and she didn't want Ellie to grow worried again or grow distrustful of her friend. "There's a lot of shit going on and they are the main target in all the nonsense." Ellie nodded, indicating that she had acknowledged what Daniella had told her.

        "Same thing's gonna happen to us if we don't get off the street," Joel told them. He was right. The soldiers would return eventually and there would be too many for them to handle alone, which would result in their deaths. They needed to get a move on.

        "You're the pro," Ellie said as she looked at him. "I'm just following you." She glanced towards Daniella. "And her, too, I guess." She was unsure if they both were leading her or if Daniella was just sticking around as company. She didn't see Daniella leading the way with Joel so she figured it must be the latter. It didn't seem like her unspoken question was going to be directly answered, seeing as neither Daniella or Joel said anything in response to what she said.

        Joel headed left of where the bodies were and the girls followed behind him. They moved to the far left, going down a set of steps that lead to a small parking lot. Across from them was the fence that kept them from entering the street but they weren't going towards the street. Instead, Joel took an immediate right after he was off the steps and after he had went through the small open fence that laid right in front of them, heading for another set of steps. Daniella and Ellie followed close behind him but Daniella moved behind Ellie once they, too, had reached the new set of steps because the tunnel was too narrow. One by one, with Joel leading the way, the three of them walked through the tunnel.

        As they followed the path of the tunnel, the woman on the loudspeaker began to talk while an army truck passed by the tunnel. "Attention. Harboring or aiding wanted criminals is punishable by death. Do not place yourself at risk. Report any suspicious activity immediately."

        Daniella clenched her fists. "Seriously? Again with the fuckin' announcements? She needs to learn to just say everything all at once in the morning and then repeat it when it's close to curfew. That way, we won't have to hear her annoying voice every damn hour. Better yet, as I've said several times before, someone else needs to take her damn place already. Someone with a less irritating voice." There she went again, complaining about the loudspeaker woman. She couldn't help it. Hearing that ladies voice often lit a fire inside her. Though, the fire was bigger because she was very annoyed that Ellie was being treated less than a person.

        Ellie cracked a smile as she walked in front of her. Deep down, she had a feeling that she was going to like being around Daniella during their small adventure together. "Making fun of her helps," she commented. She agreed with Daniella completely. She didn't like the way the woman sounded either; she was just too stern. Ellie's amused smile became a sad one as she remembered when Riley, her deceased best friend, and herself repeated what the woman had said but they had said it in a more seductive manner. It was a nice memory to recall but it was also painful, considering that Riley was gone forever and was now merely a memory as well.

        Daniella blinked and tilted her head, thinking about Ellie's response. "Hmm. I can't believe I never thought of that. I'll keep that in mind for next time." She uncrossed her arms and let them drop to her sides. She half-smiled to herself.

        "C'mon, keep up," Joel told the two of them. He was a little bit ahead of them both. Ellie walked faster, allowing Daniella to walk faster as well. The girls meet up with Joel who had stopped walking and they both stopped, standing near him. They were standing in a deserted courtyard, with seemingly absolutely nowhere to go.

        Ellie looked around, seeing what appeared to be a dead end. "Where are we going?"

        Joel nodded towards the metal platform to their left, its ledge too high up for them to reach. Ellie looked at it. "Up there. That'll get us to the north tunnel," Joel told her. He started jogging over to the nearby garage.

        "How are we suppose to reach that?" Ellie questioned. She looked towards Joel but didn't see him in sight, him having walked away to find something for them to use.

        "He'll think of something," Daniella assured her. She half-smiled at Ellie. Daniella could've climbed up the platform but then she would have had to attempt to get them up and considering the distance between the ground and the ledge, that would had been very difficult and would had taken a while if they continued attempting to get up that way. She was just going to let her father handle this one just to avoid looking stupid if she screwed up.

        Ellie looked at her. "...Do you often do things like this?" She was curious. Because of Daniella's reaction earlier, she still wasn't sure if Daniella was a smuggler or not. She didn't act like one.

        "What? You mean smuggle?" Daniella questioned. Ellie nodded. "Yeah," Daniella answered softly and honestly. "But smuggling a kid... That's a first for me and... I don't like it." She really, really didn't like it at all.

        "I know," Ellie responded, speaking in a kind tone that matched Daniella's. "I, erm, heard your little meltdown back there."

        Daniella half-smiled again. "How could ya not? I'm loud as a bullhorn when I'm pissed or deeply annoyed. Just hope we're not in a sticky situation when I blow a gasket next time." She turned her head away from Ellie, looking towards where Joel had vanished, and she watched as Joel returned, him pushing a dumpster towards the metal platform. Daniella lightly gripped Ellie's arm and pulled her aside along with her so that they were not in Joel's way. Joel pushed the dumpster against the platform and climbed on top of the dumpster before he climbed onto the platform, the dumpster being used as a makeshift stepping stone. Daniella and Ellie climbed up after him, shortly after he started going up the stairs of the platform. They both walked some distance behind him. Daniella began walking beside Ellie once all three of them were inside the building. "I hope you do not mind me walking beside you," Daniella commented.

        "It's fine," Ellie answered. She continued speaking to her but her words were also directed towards Joel as well this time. "So, this tunnel, you use it to smuggle things?" she asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

        "Yep," Joel answered bluntly. He didn't explain anything at all, he just simply answered her.

        "Like illegal things?" Ellie questioned.

        "Sometimes," Joel answered.

        "It's not something to be proud of, though," Daniella stated. "It's just another means of surviving this pandemic world." She wanted Ellie to know that they weren't bad people, they just seemed like it from time to time because of some ways they had. Survival of the fittest. Sure they tended to kill people and they smuggled illegally at times, but it was in order to continue surviving. Everything that everyone did was in order to survive, even though most ways were horrible but necessary.

        "I get it," Ellie told her. Daniella hummed in response. It grew quiet but it only lasted for several seconds.

        "So, what's the deal with you and Marlene, anyways?" Joel asked Ellie as the three of them continued to walk through the hallways of the building. Daniella let out a low sigh, indicating that she knew he just wanted more information and that he didn't actually want to talk to Ellie.

        "I don't know. She's my friend, I guess," Ellie replied. Marlene tended to help her out with things so she supposed that they were friends.

        "Your friend, huh?" Joel questioned. "You're friends with the leader of the Fireflies? What're you, like twelve?" It sounded almost like a lie, all because it seemed unlikely.

        "She knew my mom and she's been looking after me," Ellie answered. "And I'm fourteen, not that it has anything to do with anything."

        "So, where are your parents?" Joel questioned.

        "Where are anyone's parents? They've been gone a long, long time," Ellie told him.

        "This might come as a surprise to you," Daniella began, finally speaking again after being mostly silent while Ellie and Joel talked. "But this cranky man we're following happens to be my dad." She looked towards Ellie as they walked. "Also, I am real sorry about your loss. We've lost people, too. Some were closer than others."

        "That is actually kind of surprising," Ellie admitted. "And I'm sorry for your losses, too."

        "Hmph," Joel grunted. "So, instead of just staying in school, you decided to run off and join the Fireflies, is that it?" He had made the conversation go straight back to the Fireflies. He was trying to get more information out of her since he wanted to know the reason as to why they had to smuggle her in the first place.

        "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you why you're smuggling me if that's what you're getting at," Ellie revealed. She and Daniella followed Joel up a few stairs, soon entering the last hallway.

        "You wanna know the best thing about my job?" Joel asked her. He didn't want her to answer and he hadn't planned on letting her answer in the first place. "I don't gotta know why. Be honest with you, I could give two shits about what you're up to." He told a half-truth, in a way. He actually was curious as to why she needed to be smuggled but he didn't care if it was an important thing or not and he also didn't give two shits about what happened to her afterwards because after the smuggling was done with, he planned to head back to the zone with Tess, Nathan, and Daniella, which meant that Ellie would be out of his life forever. He wished Nathan would be out of his life forever, too, but he was stuck with him for now since the young man was so stubborn about many things.

        "Well great," Ellie responded.

        "Good," Joel replied.

        Daniella crossed her arms again as the three of them slowly approached the last door at the end of the hallway. "Well, I for one care about everything that has to do with Ellie. Unlike you, I actually like her." Ellie was like a younger version of her. Even if that wasn't the case, she would've liked Ellie because she was just so likable.

        Ellie was surprised by this information. "Uh, thank you. I think."

        Daniella let out a little giggle. "You're welcome."


	13. Holy Shit...

        Joel, Daniella, and Ellie finally reached the door at the end of the hallway, doing so shortly after the conversations ended. Joel placed his left hand upon the doorknob and turned it, pushing it open to reveal that it had been unlocked. He entered the apartment room, its walls covered in blue paint that surprisingly wasn't peeling away. "This is it," he stated. He stepped behind the door, watching as Ellie and Daniella entered the room. He closed the door behind them and he headed over to the nearby white, long couch. He took a seat on it, fixed the couch pillow, and reclined, laying his head against the pillow and kicking his feet up on the couch. He closed his eyes.

        "What are you doing?" Ellie asked him as Daniella moved over to the window within the room, her moving around the coffee table to do so.

        "Killing time," Joel answered. It was going to be a while before they heard from Tess and Nathan.

        "Well, what am I supposed to do?" Ellie asked him.

        "I am sure you will figure that out," Joel answered.

        Ellie slowly walked past the couch, staring at Joel while she did. She slightly shook her head as she went by. "Your watch is broken," she pointed out when she spotted it. She headed over to stand beside Daniella at the window as Joel let out a short noise, almost like it was a sigh that was cut short. Daniella half-smiled at Ellie when she heard her walking over and, then, she looked out the window again. "Uh, hey," Ellie awkwardly greeted, not sure how to start the conversation.

        Daniella looked back at her and let out a small laugh. "Salutations." She turned her body towards Ellie, leaning against the wall beside the window. "What do you wish to talk about to pass the time?"

        "Um..." Ellie shrugged. "I don't know. There's so many things to talk about."

        "That's true. Well, how about we start by gettin' to know each other a bit? Then, we can just talk about random things from there," Daniella suggested. "It's better than standing or sitting around doin' nothing."

        Ellie nodded. "Okay."

        Time slowly went by. Daniella and Ellie were enjoying their time talking to one another as they waited for something new to happen. They were getting to know one another a little bit, revealing little things about their pasts but as the time went by while they waited for Tess and Nathan, they started to reveal a little bit more as the bond between them slowly became closer. They were also able to talk about random things without the conversation getting awkward or momentarily silent.

        While the girls had started chatting away, Joel had dosed off long before their large conversation even began and he was beginning to mumble a little in his sleep as night finally arrived and rain began to fall. As he began mumbling, Ellie and Daniella's long conversation died down, their attention turning towards Joel.

        "Does he always do that?" Ellie asked Daniella.

        Daniella sighed. "Only when the dream becomes bad."

        "Oh," Ellie responded. It wasn't long after Joel started mumbling when he jerked awake, his eyes opening quickly. He blinked several times. "You mumble in your sleep," Ellie remarked. She looked out the window, her attention finally moving away from Joel. "I hate bad dreams."

        Joel sighed as he sat up. "Yeah, me too." He rubbed his face before he looked towards Daniella and Ellie.

        Daniella was still looking at Joel and she smiled sadly at him. "Who doesn't?" She watched as Joel stood up and walked over to them. She looked down at Ellie.

        Ellie turned her head to look at Joel. "You know, I've never been this close." She gestured towards the window. "To the outside," she clarified. This was something she hadn't told Daniella during their conversation along with multiple other things. She looked back out the window. "Look how dark it is." Minus the few spotlights shining brightly, it was indeed dark. "Can't be any worse out there." She looked towards Joel again and stood up. "Can it?" She looked at Daniella next as Daniella moved from leaning against the wall. Daniella didn't say anything and instead just patted Ellie's right shoulder.

        "What on earth do the Fireflies want with you?" Joel asked Ellie.

        The door to the apartment suddenly opened. "Hey," Tess greeted as she and Nathan walked into the room. Nathan immediately headed over to Daniella, wrapping an arm around her as he laid a kiss on her cheek; Daniella made it clear that she was still upset when she had prevented him from actually kissing her and the action made him sigh after he kissed her cheek. "Sorry it took so long," Tess continued as she closed the door. She approached all of them. "Soldiers fuckin' everywhere."

        "How's Marlene?" Ellie asked Tess. Marlene had came up in the conversation she had with Daniella. She had learnt that Daniella was once a Firefly and that she had always disliked Marlene. It didn't bother Ellie at all since everyone likes and hates different people most of the time.

        "She'll make it," Tess told her. She looked at Joel. "I saw the merchandise. It's a lot. Wanna do this?"

        "Yeah," Joel told her.

        Tess looked towards Daniella. "What about you? Still in?"

        "Of course I am," Daniella answered. "I'm just not in it for the same reasons as you three." She moved Nathan's arm from around her.

        "Let's go." Tess walked into the next room of the apartment with Joel and Ellie following. Daniella had attempted to follow but Nathan grabbed one of her hands in his own and stopped her.

        "Daniella, talk to me," Nathan softly said. "I don't like the neglect."

        "I'm not neglecting you," Daniella stated. "I'm just a little upset about how Tess, Dad, and you see things." She crossed her arms as she stared at him. "You see Ellie as cargo. I see her as a young innocent girl who's not being treated as a person. I know that 'shit happens', I see that everyday but I expected more from the three of you, especially you. I thought that...that ya'll would've cared at least a little bit about the fact that Ellie is a living being, not some object. To me, once you don't care about a good living person, you lose a bit of your humanity and we've met a lot of assholes who couldn't care less about anyone but themselves, all of them ready to turn on their 'friends' if it meant their own survival. I'm not like that and I don't plan to be." She wanted her humanity to remain, she wanted to remain a good person despite the harsh reality of the apocalypse.

        Nathan nodded in understanding. "You're right. You're completely right but it's just not me. We aren't going to see this girl again after this so there's no point in bonding with her or talking to her for long. I'll only care about someone if I know that I'll be seeing them often." He smiled a little. "Like with you. I knew I'd see you again after we first met and I knew that if you weren't going to come to me that I'd come to you."

        Daniella half-smiled. "Well, I'm flattered that you cared about me since then." She uncrossed her arms. She sighed shortly. "I suppose I can forgive you for...well, being you. I can't change how you see things."

        Nathan smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thank you. And try not to get too close to her or else, you won't be able to let her go."

        Daniella sighed again. "I'll try but that'll be hard." Nathan looked at her questionably. "While we waited for you and Tess, we talked a lot about different stuff. She told me about some of her life and told me of a close friend. I told her the same about myself. And because of that, a bond of sorts was created between her and I. I could feel it, so to speak," Daniella explained.

        Nathan sighed this time. "I never imagined that you'd get close to a kid this quickly."

        Daniella pouted. "Hey, she reminds me of me. Besides, she's that likable. You should try having a conversation with her and tell me you don't feel anything at all." She liked that Ellie had became her friend so quickly.

        "I might," Nathan told her. "Now, move your ass. We're making them wait."

        Daniella laughed. "Hey, who's fault is that?"

        Nathan smiled again and slightly shoved her. "Shut up." Daniella rolled her eyes playfully and she finally went into the next room with Nathan. Joel was standing by the bookshelf while Ellie and Tess were by the windows.

        Tess looked over at Nathan and Daniella. She smirked. "It took you long enough. Did you two kiss and make up?" she teased.

        Daniella blushed. "We didn't kiss but we did make up, yeah." She moved to stand beside Ellie. "I'm ready to go when you guys are." Nathan moved to stand behind Daniella and Ellie. Ellie looked at Nathan, then Daniella, then Joel, and then Tess.

        "Don't you think it's a bit strange that they're askin' us to do their smuggling?" Joel asked Tess, Nathan, and Daniella. Daniella and Nathan said nothing.

        "Marlene wanted to do it herself. We weren't the first choice or the second for that matter. She's lost a lot of men. Beggars can't be choosers," Tess told him.

        "Yeah, let's just hope there's someone alive to pay us," Joel stated, knowing of the Fireflies bad luck with keeping themselves alive.

        "Someone'll be around," Tess replied. "Come on." She headed towards him and the two of them worked together to move the bookshelf back, revealing a crack in the wall that was big enough for them to shimmy through. Tess went first, followed by Ellie, Daniella, Nathan, and Joel in that exact order. Tess, Ellie, Daniella, and Nathan moved to stand on the elevator in the hidden room while Joel went over to the generator, him turning it on before he got onto the elevator next. He pressed a button on the wall, making the elevator go down.

        "Who's waitin' for us at the drop off?" Joel asked Tess and Nathan.

        "Tess'll answer that. I wasn't really listening to the Queen Firefly. My mind was on more important matters," Nathan commented. Daniella looked at Nathan with her head tilted and he just smiled at her, winking.

        "She said there's some Fireflies that have traveled all the way from another city," Tess explained. She looked at Ellie. "Girl must be important. What is the deal with you? You some bigwig's daughter or something?"

        "Something like that," Ellie answered as the elevator came to a stop. They all stepped off it, Joel leading the way through the small tunnel across from them as he, Tess, and Daniella turned on their flashlights but the rest of them didn't exactly follow him down the tunnel right away. "How long is this all gonna take?" Ellie asked.

        "If everything goes as planned, we should get you to them in a few hours," Tess stated.

        "Let's hope nothing delays us then," Nathan commented. "Like infected or patrolling soldiers."

        "Life is unpredictable," Daniella commented. She looked at Ellie and smiled when Ellie looked at her. "No matter what happens, Ellie, we will get you to the Fireflies safely. Promise." Ellie grinned a bit and looked away from her.

        "Just follow our lead and stay close once we're out there," Tess instructed Ellie.

        "Yeah, of course," Ellie replied.

        The four of them finally headed through the small tunnel, meeting up with Joel at the end of it. They all stood by a ladder and Tess nodded at Joel. "Climb up and check if the coast is clear."

        Joel climbed up the ladder in response to what Tess said. He moved the pallet that blocked his way and he looked around, spotting a patrol that was moving away. "Hold up, there's a patrol up ahead." He looked around, spotting nothing else and he saw that the patrolling officers were gone. "Alright, we're good. Come on up." He pulled himself up and waited for everyone. Ellie came up first. "Watch your step," Joel warned. Daniella, Tess, and Nathan soon came up the ladder one by one after Ellie and Joel placed the pallet back over the entrance. He followed everyone down the rocky path, all of them heading towards an empty trailer. "This rain ain't gonna do us any good."

        "Holy shit..." Ellie commented as they all walked. "I'm actually outside."

        Daniella smiled to herself. "Amazing, huh?"

        "Yeah," Ellie replied.

        Joel stepped into the empty trailer first. "Up this way." He walked on ahead of everyone and as soon as he exited, he was hit in the head by the end of a gun that one of the soldiers was holding and he fell to the ground. The soldiers were the ones that had been patrolling, the ones he thought had moved on. The two of them were wearing protective gear while holding a gun within their hands.

        "Don't do anything stupid," the female soldier stated, pointing her gun at Ellie whom was exiting after Joel. Ellie had put her hands up and she got out of the trailer, the others following suit in the same manner. "Turn around. On your knees." She watched as Ellie, Daniella, Tess, and Nathan lined up on either side of Joel, all of them on their knees as instructed. They were lined up as: Tess, Nathan, Joel, Ellie, and Daniella. The woman looked at the male soldier with her. "You scan 'em, I'll call it in."

        "Alright." The man moved over to the woman, getting behind the group they had caught. He pulled out a scanner as he spoke to the group. "Hands on your head." As he placed the scanner against Tess's ear while his partner spoke into her walkie talkie, Tess looked at him.

        "Look the other way. We can make this worth your while," Tess said, trying to persuade him to let them all go.

        "Shut up," the man told her as he got a negative reading on the scanner. He moved on to Nathan next, placing the scanner to his ear. "I'm getting tired of this shit." The scanner showed another negative and he moved to Joel, getting the same reading. He spoke to his partner as he moved on to Ellie. "What the ETA?"

        "Couple a minutes," the woman responded.

        Ellie looked antsy. "Oh man, oh man," she whispered. She quickly and suddenly moved her hands from her head, quickly pulling out her knife as the scanner beeped. She stabbed the man in the leg with her knife, apologizing. "Sorry!" While the man was grunting in pain, dropping the scanner and everyone else hadn't exactly processed what had just happened, Ellie attempted to get the man's gun from him. The man hit her, knocking her to the ground.

        "Hey!" Daniella exclaimed. She acted. While still on the ground, she kicked her leg out and swung it low, knocking the soldier to the ground while preventing him from shooting Ellie. Joel was soon on the guy and when the female was about to finally shoot someone during the confusion, Tess had pulled out her gun and immediately shot the woman in the head before she could do anything. The male soldier struggled to get free and shoot Joel but Joel managed to make the soldier shoot himself in the head, ending the situation. Joel and Tess stood up.

        Nathan finally stood up himself after the confusion. "Damn," he said. He quickly went to Daniella and he helped her up.

        Daniella went over to Ellie as Ellie crawled backwards, her back against a crate. "You alright, Ellie?"

        "Oh, oh fuck," Ellie commented. "I thought we were just gonna hold them up or something."

        Daniella crouched down to Ellie's right. "That wasn't possible in that situation." She frowned. "We have to do bad things to survive, you know?" Ellie didn't say anything, she just rubbed her forehead a bit.

        Nathan walked over as well, standing behind Daniella. "I have to admit, that was quite impressive, kid. Respect."

        Tess walked over to where the scanner had fallen and she picked it up. She looked at it. "Oh, shit." Joel, Daniella, and Nathan looked in her direction. "Look." She tossed the scanner to Joel.

        Joel stared at the scanner, seeing the clear words on its screen. Positive. "Jesus Christ," he commented. "Marlene set us up?" he questioned. Tess let out a noise, unable to get any words out momentarily. Joel looked at Ellie while Nathan and Daniella stared at him and Tess, the two of them confused. "Why the hell are we smuggling an infected girl?"

        "What?" Daniella questioned. She looked at Ellie.

        "That explains it," Nathan said, referring to Ellie's previous actions.

        "I'm not infected," Ellie tried to tell them.

        "No? So was this lying?" Joel tossed the scanner beside her.

        "Oh my God..." Daniella whispered, seeing the words on the scanner when she looked at it. "Ellie..." Nathan attempted to pull Daniella up and away from Ellie but she pushed him away. She stared at Ellie.

        "I can explain," Ellie told them all.

        "You better explain fast," Tess instructed.

        Ellie pulled up her right sleeve, revealing a bite mark around her wrist. "Look at this."

        "I don't care how you got infected," Joel told her.

        Nathan stared at the bite mark. "Holy hell, that must've hurt when it happened." He looked towards Daniella, looking for signs of her becoming tearful. Daniella wasn't tearful at all and instead was quietly looking at the bite mark, examining it. A small smile slowly appeared on her face. The bite didn't look recent and it looked like it was just scarring. Daniella knew exactly what Ellie was going to practically tell them: she was immune.

        "It's three weeks old," Ellie informed them.

        "No. Everyone turns within two days so you stop bullshitting," Tess told her.

        Ellie shook her head. "It's three weeks. I swear." She looked at Joel and Tess, then Nathan and Daniella, and back to Joel and Tess. "Why would she set you up?"

        There was a very long pause, only the rain making a sound. Eventually, after many long seconds, Joel spoke up. "I ain't buying it." He turned away from everyone.

        "I believe her," Daniella stated, looking at Joel, Nathan, and Tess. Tess and Nathan stared at her in disbelief.

        Ellie looked at her and a hint of a smile was on her face. "You do?" Daniella looked back at Ellie, nodding.

        Joel turned his head towards Daniella. "Excuse me? How could you believe that bull?"

        Daniella started explaining. "The bite doesn't look bad. In fact, it looks like it's becoming a scar." She stood up straight and looked at Joel, Nathan, and Tess. "If she were infected, the bite wouldn't be lookin' like its been healing. It would be bloody still and fungus would be appearing around it." She waited for someone to respond, anyone but no one did. She sighed. "Am I seriously the only one on her side? Again? Seriously? Even despite the obvious sign that shows she is immune?" She shook her head. "Wow..."

        "It's okay," Ellie softly remarked, smiling a little. She was happy that her newest friend believed her, at least.

        "Dani-" Nathan started.

        Daniella held up her hand, motioning for him to stop. "Shh... Don't you hear that?" Everyone stayed quiet, listening carefully. All of them soon heard the sound of an approaching patrol SUV. "Oh, fuck."

        "Run!" Joel instructed. Daniella wasted no time in helping Ellie stand before she followed Ellie, Tess, Joel, and Nathan down the embankment just seconds before the officers arrived right where they had been standing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll be seeing Daniella being more protective of Ellie and Nathan being protective of Daniella in the next chapter. You will see stealth and you will see recklessness; so, basically the usual. In one of the future chapters, however, there will be complete stealth or recklessness just so that it isn't always a combination of both at once. The next chapter brings back all the action but then again, the ending of this one can be thought of as action, right? :D
> 
> On a side note (sort of), I can't wait for the Last of Us Part II. It looks amazing! Rumors are going around sayin' that Ellie is seeing things and that Joel is dead because he doesn't appear to be an older while Ellie does. If this is true, that is one hell of a plot twist than what I ever expected to see in a sequel and I'll 100% play it someday when it is out! If it isn't, I'll still play it because it's Last of Us. And since the release date for that game is around Christmas of 2018, it will likely be the beginning of 2019 when a sequel to this fanfiction is made. :) That's right. I plan to make a sequel when that game is released and it better damn well be released in two years or I'll be disappointed that I had to wait so long for nothing. Any of you excited for that shit? :D
> 
> In case you are curious or are disappointed to not have heard what Ellie & Daniella talked about while Joel slept, I'll just tell ya now even though I stated it somewhat within the chapter. Ellie told Daniella about her life in the zone, going as far as to tell her about Riley but she did not reveal that Riley passed away, she did not reveal why the Fireflies wanted her (aka she didn't reveal that she is immune), and she did not really say much about her life in the zone, only speaking of a few interesting events (water gun battle with Riley, brick throwing contest with Riley, and riding a horse first the first time) and stating a few facts that were kinda obvious to begin with such as that she had 'school' and stuff. Daniella told Ellie about some of her life during the apocalypse, never mentioning anything about before it. Because of their conversation, they became friends. And nobody start tellin' me how that ain't realistic cause it is; sometimes we make friends quick and sometimes it takes fuckin' forever.
> 
> Lastly, it is official that the Left Behind DLC will be featured in this fanfiction and won't be made into a separate story. So, this fanfiction will be longer than expected. :) Have a good day, friends.


	14. Narrow Escape

        "Run!" Joel instructed. Daniella wasted no time in helping Ellie stand before she followed Ellie, Tess, Joel, and Nathan down the embankment just seconds before the officers arrived right where they had been standing...

        "Holy shit!" one of the soldiers exclaimed in surprise as his eyes laid upon the corpses of his two dead solider friends. He looked around the area, his eyes searching for the group that had long escaped that section of the area. His partner, a female, immediately made contact via the radio, requesting backup to find and take-out the group.

        One by one, the group crouched and moved through the small opening beneath a trailer that stood across from where they had landed within the embankment; Tess went first, followed by Ellie, Daniella, Nathan, and lastly, Joel. The five of them quickly crouch walked over to a small, long concrete wall and stayed hidden behind it, lined up in the exact same order they had crouch walked underneath the trailer. There were multiple spotlights going through the area, soldiers attempting to spot them from up high while a few of the soldiers were down on ground level, searching the areas thoroughly.

        "Shit," Nathan commented lowly. "Shit, shit, shit. How the fuck are we gonna get through this alive?"

        "Thanks so much for being so hopeful, Nathan. I really appreciate it," Daniella sarcastically remarked, speaking quietly. She peeked out from behind their cover and she didn't spot any soldiers. She ducked back down. "There are no soldiers in this area. We just need to worry about the spotlights."

        "Sure thing," Joel lowly commented.

        "We'll be fine," Daniella whispered, assuring herself and Ellie mostly. "Just gotta be sneaky little ninjas."

        Tess looked at Ellie. "Alright, Ellie. When I give you the signal, we run." She waited for the spotlight to move on elsewhere. "Now. Run." She sprinted towards the left, running past the burnt-out car and she dropped down into the nearby ravine. Ellie, Daniella, Nathan, and Joel were right behind her, though Nathan and Joel had to wait for a few moments before they sprinted due to the spotlight returning momentarily; in the end, they all made it, unseen, into the ravine. "Stay away from the lights," Tess instructed everyone as they all sprinted down the ravine, following the water. They each jumped over the barrier and ducked underneath the pipe. They continued sprinting until they reached a drainage pipe.

        Joel crouched through the drainage pipe first and he sprinted across the trench, over to the nearby concrete wall and he hid behind it as soldiers suddenly appeared from above. Tess, Ellie, Daniella, and Nathan took turns going through the drainage pipe and they all sprinted over to where Joel was, remaining unspotted by the above soldiers. "Goddamn it, they're everywhere," Joel commented lowly to them. The others were lined up at his right, all of their backs against the wall.

        "Yeah, no shit," Nathan quietly remarked. He was at the end of the line-up. "Now, how do we get past them?" He nodded towards the above soldiers that he could no longer see, only having saw them as he ran to cover. There was a soldier standing on the ledge of the right wall and there was another a little further away, standing on the opposite wall ledge.

        "I'm thinking," Joel told him aggressively but quietly. Daniella suddenly pushed herself off the wall from her place between Ellie and Nathan, sprinting towards where Joel stood. Her actions surprised Joel. "Daniella," he quietly yelled as he attempted to stop her when she reached where he was, unable to grab ahold of her before she sprinted out into the open. Daniella reached the right wall unseen, moving among it silently as she walked beneath the soldier. Following her example, the rest of them followed behind her one by one, all of them being careful of staying out of the soldier's sight. "Never do that again," Joel quietly told her once he was beside her against the right wall.

        Daniella half-smiled. "I believe that my quick thinking got us moving again," she whispered in response as the soldier above them moved away, him switching to stand with the other soldier.

        "I suppose you're right about that but don't be so reckless. You could've been spotted," Joel spoke quietly still but sternly. Daniella only sighed in response and she sprinted to the left wall, pressing her side against it as she slowly moved along it, beneath both of the soldiers in that area. The others followed quickly behind her, still moving one by one to avoid detection. The first soldier moved again, moving back to the other wall but he stood further down it, near where they could escape.

        "Shit," Daniella whispered.

        "My turn to lead," Nathan commented lowly. He was going to pull the same move Daniella had done, except he knew that he would get caught.

        Daniella looked towards where he stood: the back of the line. She was surprised she could even hear him. She was surprised that Joel had even heard him earlier when he had spoken while the two of them were far apart from each other. "No, not happening. You're too reckless," she hissed. She didn't want him to get himself killed.

        "Exactly." Nathan sprinted out into the open and was immediately spotted by the two soldiers. The soldiers fired at Nathan as he ran forward, another soldier entering the area and firing at Nathan. Nathan dropped into the water ahead and he climbed out on the other side, climbing up the rubble as the soldiers continued firing at him. Unable to stop, he ran up some stairs of a building and he dropped down into the next one.

        Forced to follow Nathan's lead, the others moved out from their hiding place but were remained unseen due to the attention being on Nathan. The four dropped into the water and they pressed themselves against the wall as the soldiers moved from the area, the soldiers clearly wanting to move to a better area to fire at Nathan. The four climbed up the rubble as Nathan had done moments before and they eventually made their way to his location, going up some stairs and dropping down into the building he was in.

        Daniella sprinted over to him and she pounded at his chest with her fists as hard as she could. "You asshole," she hissed. "You could've died." She didn't bother being quiet. The area they were in was now clear somehow, the soldiers apparently havin' gone too far of coarse of where Nathan had gone to. "Are you really that insane? That reckless?" She was so angry with him. Joel, Tess, and Ellie stood behind her, just watching silently.

        "Sorry, darlin' but my way needed to be done. There wasn't any other way for us getting by them. Someone had to get caught and I wanted it to be me." Nathan wrapped his arms around Daniella's waist. "I wouldn't had done it if I had believed I would die. But I believed I could make it and I did. I'm still here, still breathing and standing."

        "Barely," Daniella whispered. She hit him again. "Don't do that again."

        Nathan smiled and released his hold on her. "No promises. Sorry." Daniella sighed and crossed her arms.

        Joel, Tess, and Ellie finally started moving but they didn't say anything. They moved past the couple and entered the garage, the couple following close behind them. Joel approached the garage door and he pulled the nearby chain to open it halfway. Joel spoke seconds later. "Down through here."

        "C'mon, Ellie," Tess instructed. She and Ellie crouched through first, followed by Nathan and Daniella. Tess held up the garage door and Joel released the chain, crouching underneath the opening. Tess closed the garage door as gently as she could. They all sprinted over to a police cruiser and they hid behind it. Four soldiers were patrolling the area, three on the ground level and one on the walkway above. "Shit, another patrol," Tess lowly commented.

        "They certainly aren't making this easy for us," Nathan commented lowly.

        "As long as you don't pull another stunt, we'll be alright," Daniella stated quietly.

        Ellie finally spoke as she and the others crouch walked over to a tank, hiding behind it. She spoke quietly like the others had. "There's so many of 'em out here. How are we supposed to get past 'em?"

        "They ain't spotted us yet," Joel told her quietly. "Let's go around." The five of them quickly moved behind a still standing wall of what was once a building and Daniella picked up a brick, tossing it out the window; it caused the soldiers to look towards where the brick had landed and had made two of the three ground soldiers move towards its location, buying the group more time to proceed. They moved out towards the open area, hiding behind partial walls as the remaining ground soldier patrolled near them. Joel picked up a brick near where he was hidden and he tossed a brick over the soldier whom was slowly approaching Daniella and Ellie's hiding place. The soldier turned around and headed the opposite way.

        Quickly, the group headed to the burnt-out trailer and headed through it. They, then, went past a few abandoned, worn down cars before they all dropped into a big cavernous hole. Crawling through another drainage pipe one by one, they found themselves inside another building. "Yeah, this looks right," Tess commented, telling mostly Joel that they were going the right way still. "Stay close," she told Ellie.

        "Okay," Ellie told her. As they all headed up the stairs to the next room, she looked at Daniella whom walked beside her. Joel and Tess were ahead of them. "You okay?" she asked her.

        Daniella looked at her and smiled. She nodded a little. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." She looked behind her, looking towards Nathan and her smile faltered a little. She looked back at Ellie. "Still mad at Nathan but I'm alright."

        "Hey, what I did was to keep you safe and out of harm's way," Nathan protested. "So, you shouldn't be mad. You should be glad."

        "I'm mad because you could've died. I'd flip out if I lost you," Daniella informed him. She lightly hit Ellie's right arm. "Same goes for you. Don't you do anything that might get ya killed. I can't lose you either." She knew that they'd eventually go separate ways but she still didn't want Ellie to die, especially not while she was being taken to her destination. Ellie was her friend and she already cared for her safety.

        Ellie grinned a little. "You won't."

        "Through here," Joel instructed as he went through a hole in the wall of the next room. The rest of them followed close behind him. They all immediately hid behind the wooden crates and waited for the soldiers above them to disperse. Once the soldiers were gone, the rest of the group followed Joel up the path a little ways and followed him through the big hole on their right, continuing to follow him as they all went through a big sewer pipe. They entered a large room filled with water and they headed towards the far gate, more soldiers up above them but they were unseen and they went through the gate, finally safe from the soldiers...


	15. Downtown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not be updating every week anymore on Wednesdays/Thursdays. I really need to focus on getting my book done and I really need to get focused with getting my life together. I'm nineteen and I haven't been doing shit except making things for fun more often than I work on my book. That has to stop now. I will still update, just at a unspecific time. Please be patient with me. Hope to see ya next time, whenever that is.

        "Through here," Joel instructed as he went through a hole in the wall of the next room. The rest of them followed close behind him. They all immediately hid behind the wooden crates and waited for the soldiers above them to disperse. Once the soldiers were gone, the rest of the group followed Joel up the path a little ways and followed him through the big hole on their right, continuing to follow him as they all went through a big sewer pipe. They entered a large room filled with water and they headed towards the far gate, more soldiers up above them but they were unseen and they went through the gate, finally safe from the soldiers...

        "We made it," Nathan commented, finally speaking in a normal tone. He moved towards the right of the gate they just came through. "We fucking made it. Holy shit, man." He leaned over and placed his hands on his knees, shaking his head in disbelief. "I didn't think we would."

        "You seriously never think positively, do you?" Daniella questioned, shaking her head at him as she faced him from where she stood. "You should start doing so." Nathan glanced up at her, seeing her standing across from him but he said nothing. He glanced elsewhere, locating the others towards his left and, when looking back towards Daniella, behind her he noticed that there were a shit load of abandoned cars and that a little stream had been created by all the rain.

        Tess looked away from the gate that Joel had closed once they all hand gone through it. She looked towards Ellie whom had crouched down nearby her. She approached her and got down to her level. "Look," Tess began. "What was the plan? Let's say that we deliver you to the Fireflies. What then?"

        Ellie had her hands together and she looked at Tess. She slightly made gestures with her hands. "Marlene..." she breathed out. "She said that they have their own little quarantine zone with doctors there, still trying to find a cure."

        "Yeah, we've heard that before, huh, Tess?" Joel didn't believe a damn word of it.

        Daniella looked towards Joel, Tess, and Ellie. "She's tellin' the truth." Joel, Ellie, Nathan, and Tess looked towards her. She crossed her arms as she started explaining. "Marlene told me about it when I was still a Firefly. And I told her my honest opinion. There's no chance of ever finding a cure and I still believe that." She gestured towards Ellie. "There's a low chance that Ellie's immunity will help find a cure for something we still don't know too much about." She tilted her head to the left a bit before straightening it up again. "But if Marlene wants Ellie to get to the capital building, then whatever but I think its a waste of time, now that I've heard the reason of why we're doin' this." She didn't think a cure could be made, even with Ellie's help, but they might as well continue since they've already gone that far.

        Nathan stood up straight and approached Ellie. "So, basically they need you to find a possible vaccine?" he asked, wanting some additional clarification.

        Ellie nodded slightly. "Yeah..."

        Joel shook his head and spoke lowly. "Oh, Jesus."

        "It's what Marlene had told me," Ellie stated. Marlene had told her that she could help find the vaccine. She wasn't surprised that Daniella had deducted that fact on her own; she was very intelligent from what Ellie could tell.

        "Oh, I'm sure she did," Joel remarked, staring at Ellie. He still didn't believe any of it. Daniella sighed and shook her head, her arms still crossed. She looked towards Nathan as he moved to stand beside her but she quickly looked back towards Tess, Joel, and Ellie.

        Ellie stood up. "Hey, fuck you, man. I didn't ask for this."

        Joel approached her and Tess. "Me neither," he told Ellie before he looked at Tess as she stood up. "What the hell are we doing here?"

        "What if it's true?" Tess suggested. Daniella smiled a little, happy that someone was finally believing in something else that was unnatural.

        "I can't believe-" Joel shook his head, turned from Tess, and took a few paces forward.

        "What if, Joel?" Tess followed him. "I mean, we've come this far, let's just finish it." She looked towards Nathan and Daniella.

        Nathan nodded. "Yeah. Otherwise, what we just did was completely pointless."

        Daniella sighed and shrugged. "Might as well keep going." It would be stupid to just turn back now. Although, she really didn't want to continue. She wanted Ellie to stick around. She couldn't help that she liked having the young girl's company.

        Joel gripped Tess by her shoulder and pulled her to the side, closer to Nathan and Daniella. "Do I need to remind you what is out there?" he asked them, pointing towards the direction they'd most likely would be heading in next.

        Tess looked back towards Ellie before she looked at Joel again. "I get it." She walked past him and Ellie followed close behind her.

        Daniella uncrossed her arms and stared at Joel. "..." She sighed. "Dad, just..." She waved her right hand to the side. "...Don't worry. This will all be over soon, I'm sure. And, then we can go back ho...to the place we just left." She never thought of that place as home. It felt like a prison. Most people were treated unfairly while others had special treatment and she couldn't stand it. She hoped that they would never go back to that place and maybe find a new place that they could call home or create a new place themselves, maybe.

        Nathan gently grabbed onto Daniella's left hand. "Come on," he said gently. He looked at Joel. "The sooner the better, right?" Joel watched as Nathan and Daniella walked away from him, heading after Tess and Ellie. He sighed and followed close behind them.

        The three of them went underneath the overpass, going by the abandoned cars and walking through the stream of water, and they climbed up the rubble, soon meeting up with Tess and Ellie whom waited on the street. Tess walked on ahead once she spotted the three climbing up the last bit of rubble but Ellie stayed where she was, standing by the edge of the rubble as she waited for them, mostly waiting for Daniella. As soon as Daniella, Nathan, and Joel were up the rubble completely, they, plus Ellie, began walking after Tess, walking along the street. Although, Joel walked faster than Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie, catching up to Tess quickly.

        Ellie looked around the surrounding area, spinning in a circle slowly as she walked with Nathan and Daniella. "Holy moley. I guess this is what these buildings look like up close. They're so damn tall."

        Daniella looked up and glanced at the tall, tilted building to their right. She rubbed her left arm nervously. "Yeah... For damn sure, they are." She felt so uncomfortable. Just the thought of tall things unsettled her. She had a large fear of heights and she prayed that they wouldn't have to go anywhere near the building. Nathan, having released her hand when they were climbing, quickly held it again, giving it a light squeeze. The three of them, then, lightly jogged to catch up with Joel and Tess before they went back to walking.

        "So, what happened here?" Ellie asked as they all walked down the street.

        Tess answered her question. "They bombed the hell out of the surrounding areas to the quarantine zones, hoping to kill as much of the infected as possible. It worked for a little while." She lead the way up some rubble that laid in the street and they heard a screech in the distance. Daniella and Ellie both looked towards where they believed the noise had came from.

        "Ahhh, what the hell was that?" Ellie questioned as they all continued forward.

        "Infected," Nathan replied. "Of course we'd have to deal with those bastards out here." He had kind of hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with any infected in the area but that was just an unrealistic thought. Infected were always around, just well hidden in locations that seem safe. Always, they would have to be cautious when wandering around.

        "Sounded pretty far away, though," Tess commented.

        "Shit," Ellie cursed. "Are we safe?"

        "Yeah. For now," Daniella answered honestly. "But we'll be all right. We're survivors." Ellie nodded shortly. The five of them continued heading up the rubble until they came to a dead end, a gaping hole blocking their way. To the far right, in the distance, was the capitol building. They needed to find another way around and Joel was the one to find that way. While Nathan, Daniella, Tess, and Ellie stood by the edge of what was practically a cliff, Joel had cut through the rubble of a concrete structure and he noticed the opening amongst the tilted building.

        "This way," Joel called out to them. One by one, the others cut through the same structure. Joel approached the opening with Tess right behind him, followed by Ellie whom then passed to turn and wait for Daniella. And Nathan also.

        Upon laying her eyes on the tilted building again, she shook her head frantically. "Hell no." Joel and Tess stopped their walking, turning towards where Daniella and Nathan stood. "Please, please tell me we do not have to go in that." Daniella rubbed her arms, staring up at the building with fear in her eyes.

        "Shit," Joel remarked. He had forgotten about Daniella phobia of heights, all because of the shit he didn't want to deal with. He was willing to look around but he knew there wouldn't be another way around. He walked over to her and softly placed his hands on her shoulders. Nathan watched, confused as to why she didn't want to go into the building; he didn't know about her fear. Ellie and Tess both stared, Ellie confused like Nathan while Tess appeared to be a little worried. "Daniella, sweetie. We have to," Joel told Daniella gently. Daniella looked him in the eyes and he could see that she was scared. "You have me and the others, all right? We won't let anything happen. You'll be fine."

        Daniella gulped and nodded shortly. "O-Okay..." She knew she had to suck it up and she didn't like it. She had to repress her fear somehow. "I-I'll try to remain calm..." That was going to be much harder than she thought it would be...


	16. Clicker Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Clicker Appearance!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Original Characters Might Be Out of Character A Little Since It's Been 2 Months Since Last Update

        Daniella, Ellie, Joel, Nathan, and Tess walked into the large gaping opening of the tall tilted building, Joel and Tess leading the way. Daniella trailed a distance behind the two of them, forcing Ellie and Nathan both to walk her pace so that she wasn't left alone. Daniella was trembling, becoming more anxious than she had been seconds ago. She was just so extremely terrified of heights and she was deeply despising the fact that she had to be in a very tall building. She feared that they would have to go up and up within it to get further towards their destination. Quite honestly, she would rather be violently murdered by infected than be inside that place.

        As Joel and Tess both entered the open doorway that stood ahead, Nathan finally spoke up as he walked on Daniella's right. "What was that all about back there?" he questioned her. He moved his arm out in front of her, pausing her walking and his own. Ellie, seeing them both stop, stopped as well, both curious about what had happened as well and because she wanted to stick by Daniella. "Have a problem with buildings?" he joked.

        Daniella glared at him. "For your information, I am completely fine with buildings." She crossed her arms, gripping one of the straps to her backpack in one of her hands tightly. She avoided making eye contact. "I just don't like tall ones," she mumbled. "Or high places in general..." She had softly revealed to Nathan, and Ellie, that she had a fear of heights.

         Nathan's eyes widened in realization. "I'm so sorry. This is a serious matter and I shouldn't had joked around." He placed his right hand under Daniella's chin, gently making her look at him. "As your father had told you, you have us all to guide you through this. We're here for you every step of the way." Standing at the door was Joel and Tess, patiently waiting for them and watching silently; they hadn't planned to go very far and knew that Daniella would have, and want, to tell Ellie and Nathan her fear on her own accord.

         "We're in this together," Ellie commented. "Every step of the way," she echoed Nathan's words. She understood how Daniella felt. Well, to some extent. She didn't like heights either but she was more scared of falling from a high place than actually fearing heights.

         "L-Let's just keep moving, okay?" Daniella stuttered. "I... I would like to keep moving forward now." She continued to stare back at Nathan who still gripped her chin. "C-Can you hold my hand?" she whispered in a stutter. "While we're stuck here, I mean," she continued, still speaking in a whisper. She trusted him the most, somehow, and he was the only person she really wanted right by her side through everything. Yes, she wanted the others by her side but she wanted Nathan by her side the most as of that very moment.

         Nathan nodded gently and kissed her cheek. "Of course," he answered gently. He removed his hand from her chin, placing it within her left hand instead. "I'll never let go. I promise." He let Daniella through the door in front of him, keeping their hands connected. Ellie followed silently behind them but she wasn't silent for too long since another conversation soon arose.

        As the five of them stood in the narrow hallway in which they crowded into, on the floor beside the door dead ahead of them was a corpse. The corpse had one armor but it hadn't stopped the infected from clawing and eating off most of its face when it was alive. Blood was soaked beneath the corpse and some blood was splattered on the wall beside it. "He's been ripped apart," Tess pointed out as she looked over the body, the others silently looking at it themselves. "Body's pretty fresh."

        "Is that bad?" Ellie questioned. If the body was fresh, could it mean that the building they were inside was infested with infected beings? Beside her, Daniella gripped onto Nathan's hand tighter. He may had promised to constantly hold her hand but an encounter with the infected that may or may not be in that building would definitely break that promise.

        Tess didn't lie about her thoughts as she responded to Ellie. "Yeah, might be. Let's not stick around." If there were an infected nearby, they'd most likely stumble across them accidentally or the infected would return to that location, most of them being roamers, beings who often move to different locations.

        Joel nodded in agreement and he entered the door that the mangled corpse laid beside. With the others following close behind him, he began to head up the flight of stairs in the new room they had entered. After going up just one set of stairs, they came across another corpse, this one sitting against the wall with some ammo laying in front of it and a pamphlet or notebook of sorts sitting beside it. He picked up the ammo without a moment of hesitation, ammo being one of the most important things in their world now.

        Daniella let out a grunt of disgust, stepping closer to Nathan so that she was practically leaning against him. "I've never seen corpses torn up this badly before..." Mostly because she usually found the skeletons of people instead of newly made corpses whenever she was on a little trip with Joel and Tess. There was a first for everything.

        "Poor bastard," Nathan commented. Although, not a hint of sympathy was in his tone. He obviously didn't care about what happened the man or woman, seeing as the corpse was wearing armor like that last one which meant only one thing, the military.

        Joel picked up the object that laid beside the corpse, looking at it before placing it back down. It hadn't been of any use except for letting him know exactly what happened, somewhat. "Looks like these guys died waiting for back up." And by the looks of it, either the back up never arrived or they did and are now one of the infected that they could possibly run into. "Keep your eyes and ears on alert." They needed to be extremely cautious in that area.

        "We should keep moving," Tess instructed. The longer they were there, the more likely they'd encounter infected. They needed to stay clear of them. So, the five of them continued up the stairs until they reached the fifth floor. Joel raised his hand for the others to wait as he went up further, getting to the sixth floor. There was nothing but some scissors and a rag, though it wasn't enough to create anything as of yet so he placed them into his backpack for safe keeping before returning back to the others. He walked through the open doorway and the others entered the hallway one by one shortly after him, moving around so that they weren't crowding up again like in the last hallway.

        Leaning against the closed door before them was the corpse of a Clicker. Fungus covered most of its face minus its mouth, parts of its neck, and it seemed to be attached to some fungus on the door. This Clicker didn't die from bullets but died over time for an unknown reason. "Goddamn it. Clicker," Joel commented as he approached the corpse. He gripped onto its shoulders and began to pry it loose from the door.

        "Jeez..." Ellie stared at the corpse, sticking close to Daniella and Nathan. Nathan brought up his hand that held Daniella's and he kissed her palm, having a feeling that she was growing worried and so was he. Seeing as they have found a Clicker's corpse, there definitely were some infected around. Ellie continued speaking, her eyes still on the Clicker. "What's wrong with its face?"

        "That's what years of infection'll do to you," Tess informed her. She watched as Joel finally got the corpse off the door, seeing him drop it to the floor. Joel opened the door and entered the next room, Tess following.

        "So, what, are they blind?" Ellie asked, wanting to know more about these Clickers. She didn't follow Joel and Tess, staying by Daniella and Nathan whom hadn't made a move to follow just yet.

        "Not exactly, kid," Nathan responded, answering Ellie before Tess did. "I mean, although they can't see you because of the fungus covering their face, they can hear you so you have to hide and stay extremely quiet when trying to sneak past them." Sneaking by them was both easy and difficult, depending on the situation during those times.

        "So, they see like bats see with sound?" Ellie asked him, wanting clarification.

        "Exactly," Nathan answered. "If you hear one clicking, hide as quickly and quietly as you can. That's how they find you." He half-smiled. "But don't worry. Since you've got us around, if you get caught by one, we'll just take it down before it lays even a finger on ya. We'll look out for you like we're looking out for Daniella with her fear."

        Daniella pouted. "I'm alright now. Just a bit on edge with us having to be in here. In this...tall building." She gulped and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I'm fine... It's not like we're going to be anywhere near any high up edges where we could fall to our doom."

        "Exactly. We're just heading through the building till we're where we need to be," Nathan stated. "So, keep your mind off of that and worry about something else. Like Clickers and other Infected." Daniella nodded, beginning to get her mind focused on the real problem. She needed to ignore her fear right now or she'll let it be her downfall. She took a step forward, allowing Nathan to know that she was ready to continue onward now that the conversation was over and her fear was subsiding, for the time being. Nathan and Ellie began moving again with her, the three of them entering the next room. They really needed to stop pausing to chat and just chat as they walked, that way they could actually get somewhere.

        The new room had a pile of knocked over cabinets, a dresser, and some bookshelves. Joel opened up the one drawer of the dresser and picked up the broken scissors that had only one blade. He placed it into his backpack quickly before heading over to the shelves to his right, everyone following behind. Rumbling coming from the building made everyone pause their movements for a moment before they continued. "Whole building feels like it's about to fall apart," Joel commented as he ducked underneath a collapsed cabinet that was stuck between the wall and one of the shelves before climbing over the desk that blocked the next doorway. Tess followed close behind him, followed by the others.

        "Don't say that, please," Daniella told him, still holding hands with Nathan somehow as they both stood correctly after doing the same maneuvers. Ellie stood in front of them, having gone before them. She frowned as she watched Daniella begin to breathe a bit too heavily. Nathan kept his hand connected to Daniella's and he pulled her into a hug, gently shushing her and causing her to breathe correctly within a few moments.

        "Sorry," Joel apologized. He hadn't been thinking when he said it. He should've kept it to himself but instead, he just caused his daughter to be frightful again.

        "It's fine," Daniella whispered. "Let's search this room real quick and keep moving." In the room they were now is was a row of desks with old computers and supplies on them. As the five of them headed up towards the door in the slightly tilted room, rumbling occurred again and a chair sitting by the door began to roll down towards the desks, knocking against it.

         "Totally cool. Everything is totally cool," Ellie said to herself. Daniella smiled a little. Everything was totally cool indeed, but it could totally become the opposite in a matter of seconds. They needed to stay on alert. Daniella was having a little difficulty with staying focused, though, thanks to all the rumbling of the building. She gulped again and her breathing was close to becoming heavy again but she thought back to mere seconds ago when Nathan pulled her close and had calmed her down so quickly. She felt herself become relaxed again. Not too relaxed but relaxed enough.

        Joel went around the row of desks, grabbing what little usable supplies that laid around and placing it into his bag. He believed that he had enough of an item to create something but he chose not to do so right that moment. He didn't see the need to do so since he had enough Shivs and Health Kits to last a while, having had found a few of both during their travels. He headed back around, going straight to the door he went by. He attempted to open the door and found that it was stuck. He was going to need someone to help him. He looked back and gestured for Tess to come over. "Gimme a hand with this." Tess quickly placed herself beside him and the two of them banged against the door, doing so three times before the door loudly opened with a very loud creaking noise.

        As Tess pushes the door so that it was fully open, Joel took a few steps further into the hallway. Behind him, Daniella and Nathan stood at the doorway. Ellie was in front of the two and behind Tess. Tess turned, her eyes widening as her hand flew to her gun. "Joel!"

        Joel quickly turned around and placed his arms up in front of him as he was attacked by a Clicker. He was tackled onto the ground, the Clicker on top of him. The Clicker was waving its arms around as it made clicking snarling noises, trying to claw at Joel while chopping its teeth as it tried to get close enough to bite him. Tess was about to react, about to hit the Clicker off of him but Daniella had sprung into action. She had released her hold on Nathan's hand and she quickly went at the Clicker, doing a spinning kick to knock it away from Joel. Joel, in response, rolled towards the door to get away from the Clicker as Tess moved. "Tess!" Daniella yelled. Her yell for Tess signaled the woman to quickly approach the Clicker, her stepping on its torso with one foot to hold it down while she shot it twice in the face, ending its life.

        Joel stood up at the door, standing near Ellie and Nathan. Daniella stood near where Tess and the dead Clicker were. "Thanks," Joel told Daniella and Tess as he panted. The Clicker had knocked the breathe out of him.

        "That was badass," Nathan told Daniella as he approached her, wrapping his arms around her. "You should do that more often. It's quite the turn on." He didn't bother checking her for bites or scratches. The Clicker hadn't gotten a chance to go at her before it was taken down. "You do great."

        Daniella let out a loud breathe. "Yeah, I know." She looked past him, looking straight at Joel. "You alright, Dad?" she asked, staring at him.

        Joel waved it off. "It's nothin'." It wasn't something that was new to him. He was just glad that he wasn't alone when it happened. He was always lucky enough to have someone around to save his ass. He would long be dead if that weren't the case. He took off his backpack and looked through it, pulling out one of the Health Kits he had picked up a while back. He wrapped the bandages around the cuts on his arms, tying it tightly into place. Luckily, scratches didn't do anything; it was only the bites and the spores that they had to worry about. He created another Health Kit quickly with what he had and placed the new item into his backpack, zipping his backpack up before putting it back on.

        "Let's search for supplies," Tess instructed. The more supplies, the better. They were most likely going to have to use a lot to get through that building. Might as well be heavily prepared for the inevitable battle with the Infected within the area...


	17. Supplies Mofo and Dani's Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what title says. They get supplies and Dani's fear of heights makes another appearance.

        Joel waved it off. "It's nothin'." It wasn't something that was new to him. He was just glad that he wasn't alone when it happened. He was always lucky enough to have someone around to save his ass. He would long be dead if that weren't the case. He took off his backpack and looked through it, pulling out one of the Health Kits he had picked up a while back. He wrapped the bandages around the cuts on his arms, tying it tightly into place. Luckily, scratches didn't do anything; it was only the bites and the spores that they had to worry about. He created another Health Kit quickly with what he had and placed the new item into his backpack, zipping his backpack up before putting it back on.

        "Let's search for supplies," Tess instructed. The more supplies, the better. They were most likely going to have to use a lot to get through that building. Might as well be heavily prepared for the inevitable battle with the Infected within the area...

        Tess headed through the door by the corpse of the Clicker, Ellie close behind her. Nathan removed his arms from around Daniella and placed his hand in her hand once again before they both followed behind Ellie. Joel entered last, still slightly panting from that last encounter. The room they entered had once been a break room by the looks of it. All that was within that room was counters, cabinets, an old refrigerator, and empty vending machines, a few of them knocked over. Tess walked over to the right of the room, heading towards the counter with cabinets that were on either side of the refrigerator. She crouched down and began looking through each cabinet one by one, Joel striding over to help her out.

        Ellie huffed and spoke of what happened, somewhat, as she moved to stand in the middle of the room. "Shit. Oh, that was intense." That Clicker had came out of nowhere and scared the shit outta her, and everyone else.

        "Damn straight," Nathan commented as he and Daniella moved to stand by her. He squeezed Daniella's hand. "Good thing we have a badass on our side to save the day." He thought highly of Daniella. He knew she was capable of doing things on her own, something her father clearly didn't think beforehand. He believed she was finally proving to her father that she could take care of herself and he himself couldn't be more proud of her. Regardless, the both of them, her father and himself, were still going to worry about Daniella because they both loved and cared for her in two different ways. And Nathan hoped, as much as Daniella did, that Joel was finally starting to see that Daniella wasn't a little girl but a grown woman who didn't need constant protecting.

        Daniella blushed deeply and looked at the ground sheepishly. "I'm not much of a badass. Unless badassery includes having a deep fear of something regardless of how brave and badass one can be." She was ashamed of her fear of something so practical. Although it was better than her having a fear of the Infected, she still hated that she feared heights to the point that she would flip the fuck out just by being in that tall building.

        After finding a few rags and some alcohol, Joel turned away from the counter with cabinets and strode to the other side of the room, walking through the open door and walking up to the closed door ahead of him. Unable to open it, he looked through his backpack and pulled out a Shiv, using it to open the door but breaking the Shiv as a result. He opened the door and entered the room, finding some needed supplies on the shelves within it: ammo, bandage wraps, and half of scissors. He exited the room and headed back into the break room, spotting the others heading back into the main hallway where the Clicker corpse was located. He lightly jogged to catch up with them and they headed further down the hall, entering the double doors to their far left since there was no other way to go to proceed. Within the new room was a collapsed staircase, another desk counter, and a sofa chair. Hanging upside from the upper level was a corpse of either a normal man or an Infected.

        "That's an unlovely way to die," Daniella commented lowly, staring at the mangled corpse. She felt Nathan squeeze her hand once again and this time, she returned the squeeze. She liked the gesture, the attempt to comfort her in a quick way but she didn't particularly need it at the moment. She was all right.

        Joel walked onto the collapsed stairs and went against the wall, crouching with his back to it and his hands lowly cupped. Tess walked over to him, knowing what he wanted. "Just see if there's a way through," Joel told Tess before he boosted her up to the upper level. Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan moved closer as Tess climbed up the wall. Joel straightened back up momentarily and moved from the wall, looking up towards Tess with the others.

        Tess looked around at her surroundings before looking down towards the others. "It's clear. Come on, Ellie." She crouched down near the edge of the wall, waiting for Ellie. She had her hand out, ready to grab onto her.

        "All right, kid. You're up." Joel gestured for Ellie to get a move on. Ellie silently went over to the wall and jumped, gripping onto Tess's extended hand. Tess pulled Ellie up with little struggle. Joel looked towards Daniella and Nathan, ready to tell Daniella to go ahead but Daniella and Nathan both were already making their way to the wall. With ease, Nathan did what Joel had done for Tess and Daniella was soon on the upper level with the rest of the females. Nathan waited for Daniella to reach out for him and when she did, he jumped and grabbed onto her hand. Soon, he was on the upper level with the ladies and only Joel remained on the lower level. Joel sighed lowly and re-approached the wall, waiting for a moment as Tess reached down again and he jumped, soon being pulled up by her. Just seconds after Joel had regrouped with everyone on the upper level, they heard the sound of clicking.

        "Clickers?" Ellie questioned. She was going to have to encounter one that was alive now? Can't the Infected just give them a break? Like, can they just not appear at all? That would be lovely.

        "Oh, shit. Go, go, go," Joel ushered everyone.

        They ran from through the open doorway ahead of them quickly and quietly, leaving the room of broken shelves and counters behind them. In the new room, they all immediately hid behind the long counter to their left, keeping themselves crouched. Moments afterwards, the Clicker appeared on the other side of it with its head twitching all around as it came from the same direction they had come from, except it had been in the hallway and it had been approaching their previous location. It seemed as though the Clicker had known they were there during the time they weren't hiding but it had lost them, it moving away from the counter and turning its back to it. Tess picked up the bottle on the counter and tossed it over the Clicker's shoulder, making it land a little ways in front of it and it broke, causing the Clicker to let out a loud snarling-like clicking roar before it ran towards where the noise had come from, entering the hallway, and it stood where the bottle had broke. While it was temporarily distracted, Tess moved to hide behind a different counter.

        "This is stupid," Nathan whispered. "We should just take it down. Five against one. It'll be dead in seconds." He didn't like the whole sneaking around ordeal. Even if it was keeping him alive that very moment. Although he had a point that it would be faster to kill it than to sneak around it, more Clickers might be in their area and it would be unwise to cause unnecessary noise that'll get them swarmed by more than one Infected Clicker.

        "Shut up," Daniella whispered. "We are sneaking past him. Don't you dare risk it. You'll endanger all of us. Start using your head more often." She knew of the chances and didn't want to risk it.

        "Fine," Nathan whispered. He sounded annoyed but he knew that Daniella was right. Following Tess's lead, the others followed behind her one by one. The Clicker was no longer standing in the hallway, it having moved back into the room they were in, moving towards their only exit: the scaffold. As they crouched from cover to cover, or counter to counter, Joel picked up a brick and tossed it towards where they all had first been, causing the Clicker to run in its direction. Quickly, they all lightly jogged towards the scaffold, climbing up it as quietly as they could. They dropped into the staircase behind it, Joel moving towards the blocked staircase while Tess moved to be by the wall and Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie stood near the scaffold.

        Daniella sighed in relief as she, and the others, got out of their crouched positions. "We made it. Thank God." The sounds of the Clicker could still be heard, it clueless to what they had done. She released her hold on Nathan's hand, having been holding it the whole time during that sequence. "I'm all right, now." She looked towards Ellie whom she and Nathan were standing close behind of. "You okay, Ellie?"

        "Other than shitting my pants, I'm fine," Ellie told her as she turned to look at Daniella and Nathan. Daniella laughed quietly, lightly patting Ellie's shoulder as she nodded. She looked towards Nathan and he gave her a thumbs up, even though Daniella already knew that he was completely fine other than being annoyed that he didn't get to kill the Clicker.

        Nathan looked at Ellie. "Kid, you are all right in my book. I like your personality. I see why Daniella took a quick liking to ya." He rubbed Ellie's head and she retaliated by pushing his hand away. "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't do that again." He looked past Ellie and stopped the military corpse leaning against the large cracked window. "Hope he is having fun in Hell," he remarked, nodding towards the corpse. Ellie turned around and made a face of disgust as she looked at the corpse while Daniella just stared at what laid near it.

        Tess leaned against the wall, staring at the blocked staircase while Joel maneuvered over the railing so that he was on the path to heading downstairs, which was also blocked but was luckily blocked by something movable. While he pulled the drawer that blocked the way, Daniella moved around Ellie and she approached the corpse leaning against the cracked glass, picking up the Health Kit that laid beside it. She removed her bag, unzipped it, and placed the item inside before zipping it back and placing the bag back where it was: on her back.

        "Here you go," Joel stated, informing the others that he created a path for them to go through. He jumped over the dressed and crouched down, downing down to the fifth floor landing. The others took their time hopping over the railing and crouching through the gap, all of them soon on the fifth floor. They stared at the blocked staircase, another blockage that they could do nothing about.

        "Damn it," Nathan commented. He sighed and kicked the wall near him angrily. Daniella leaned against said wall, shaking her head and looking towards the ceiling. Ellie watched them both. Joel stood near where they had come from and Tess stood by the wall in front of him, the others located to the wall on his right.

        "Should we go back?" Ellie questioned. Going back wasn't really an option. There weren't any other ways for them to go. Plus, they would have to encounter that Clicker again if they went back and Infected might be in the areas they had just left. All they could really do was find a way to move forward somehow.

        Tess walked towards the open window to her right (her back having been facing the wall), looking at the window cleaner scaffolds. She sighed and looked towards everyone. Everyone looked in Tess's direction from where they stood and reacted in different ways. Joel sighed, looking in Daniella's direction. Ellie and Nathan both cursed under their breath. Daniella stared at Tess in horror, knowing exactly what Tess had in mind.

        "No. Fuck no. Hell no." Daniella shook her head frantically as she pulled herself from the wall. "I am not going out there. It was much better with us staying in here the whole time. I am not going out there where I know that we're fucking high up. I am not doing it. I am not. I'd rather be killed by that Clicker we went by." She started to shake, her eyes willing with tears. "You can't make me go. I'm staying right fucking here."

        "Daniella, sweetheart. You'll be just fine. You have us here with you. Nothing bad is going to happen," Joel said, attempting to comfort her and convince her to do this. Daniella shook her head and turned away, her eyes on the wall.

        Nathan wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be with you every step of the way. I promise. You can do this, Dani." He frowned as she continued to shake in his arms. He hadn't calmed her down at all.

        "I am not doing this. I can't," Daniella whispered. There was complete silence amongst them all for just a few seconds before Daniella gasped as Nathan yanked her left arm, making her twirl around until she was behind him instead of him being behind her and she was suddenly on his back, her clinging to him as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "W-What are you...?"

        "I don't care if this puts more weight on those damned scaffolds or if it makes things more difficult for me. I told you I would be there every step of the way, didn't I? Besides, if anything bad happens, we'll be together when it happens," Nathan told her, his hands on her legs as he held her up. In other words, if things went wrong, at least she wouldn't be dying alone.

        Daniella continued to shake but she didn't protest anymore, placing her head against his shoulder as she tightly shut her eyes. "Just tell me when it's over..." she mumbled.

        "I don't like this either, Daniella," Ellie told her, wanting her friend to calm down a little. Daniella just nodded against Nathan's shoulder, not saying a word to her; she wanted this to be over with already.

        One by one, they all got onto the window cleaner scaffold. Tess had gone first and Nathan had went almost last, him going before Joel. Joel chose to stay in the back, to make sure nothing happened. He wasn't just going to let Nathan do all the work in helping his baby girl get through this. Nathan, with Daniella on his back, and Joel didn't step onto the scaffold until Ellie and Tess had dropped down to the second one. Taking a deep breath and hoping for the best, Nathan climbed onto the ledge of the first scaffold and he jumped onto the next one. Rumbling occurred and Daniella let out a loud terrified yelp.

        "Shhh," Nathan cooed softly. "It's all right. We're all right." He bit his lip as he noticed that Tess and Ellie were not in sight, realizing that they had sidle across a narrow edge which he could not carry Daniella through. "Shit," he mouthed. He was thankful that Joel stayed behind. Perhaps Joel could hold Daniella while he went first and then he could help Daniella get by? Or they could go together, holding hands? They had to do it somehow.

        "Come here, baby girl," Joel commented, him placing his hands on Daniella's sides. "Nathan has to let you go for a bit but don't worry, I've got ya." Daniella showed great signs of hesitation before she started releasing her hold on Nathan, her eyes remaining shut.

        Nathan gently released her as she let go, making sure she was placed gently on her feet. He got onto the ledge of the second scaffold and stepped onto the narrow edge. He looked towards Daniella and held his hand out. "Joel's gonna guide you through this with me, okay?" He nodded at Joel and Joel helped Daniella find Nathan's hand, helping her climb onto the ledge of the scaffold and making her move the narrow path so she wouldn't fall. Daniella whimpered as her back got against the wall, her sidling slowly behind Nathan while her right hand waved around towards her right, waiting for her father to grab onto it. In no time, Joel was on the narrow ledge with them and he held Daniella's hand in his left hand, sidling across with the two of them. Nathan stepped onto the platform at the end of the narrow ledge and he waited until Daniella was off it as well before he nodded at Joel again. Joel released his hold on Daniella's hand and Nathan grabbed her, pulling her inside through the broken window. "You did so great, Daniella."

        Daniella sobbed into his shirt, her tears finally releasing. "I was so fucking scared. For a second, I thought you were ditching me. But you helped me through it." She pulled away from him and she looked towards Joel whom climbed into the building after them. Daniella quickly hugged him, still sobbing. "And you helped me, too. Thank you so much. I love you, Dad. Thanks for always looking out for me, especially when I actually need you there."

        Joel slightly grinned as he hugged Daniella back. "I love you, too, sweetheart. And you're welcome," he told her gently. She had handled it much better than they thought she would. They were all glad that she hadn't started freaking out, which would've not only caused her own death but would've caused one of them to die as well. Tess and Ellie watched from down the stairs, smiling at the father-daughter moment that was taking place while Nathan stood back, giving the two hugging family members their space...


	18. Infected Vs Survivors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stealth moment of killing Infected.

Joel slightly grinned as he hugged Daniella back. "I love you, too, sweetheart. And you're welcome," he told her gently. She had handled it much better than they thought she would. They were all glad that she hadn't started freaking out, which would've not only caused her own death but would've caused one of them to die as well. Tess and Ellie watched from down the stairs, smiling at the father-daughter moment that was taking place while Nathan stood back, giving the two hugging family members their space...

        The little moment between father and daughter didn't last very long, but it lasted long enough. Daniella's sobs became fading sniffles and Joel released her from his hold, gently rubbing her shoulder. Ellie and Tess remained where they stood, still watching silently from the lower staircase. Nathan stood a little ways behind Daniella, watching silently as well. Once Joel proceeded to walk down the stairs to join Ellie and Tess, Daniella turned towards the staircase but turned her head towards Nathan, sniffling one more time before wiping her face, ridding it of tears and she smiled a little at him. Nathan returned the smile, taking two steps forward to reach her and he wrapped his left arm around her neck, heading down the stairs with her close to him.

        There was only one open doorway that they could go through since they could not go downstairs any further thanks to some more furniture blockage. The five of them entered the hallway, Tess going first and the lovebirds going last. Right in front of them was a very much collapsed wall that had little parts to it remaining. To their left was a counter with a corpse leaning against it, a Revolver laying beside it, but also a path for them to head in since there wasn't a dead end in that direction. To their right was just another room that didn't lead to anywhere and on the floor laid a 2x4, not necessarily a good item but not a bad one either. However, no one made a move to go and get the 2x4 despite it's somewhat use.

        Joel picked up the Revolver and the little ammo for it that laid beside it while the others followed the path to the left that, very shortly, lead to a drop towards the third floor hallway below and the four of them stood by that drop. Down below, on that very level, was the snarls of Infected Runners and the clicking of an Infected Clicker.

        "Runners," Tess commented lowly as she crouched down at the edge of the drop. Daniella and Nathan stood to her right while Ellie stood right behind her. Tess looked back towards Joel as he finally approached them. "Think you can handle this?" She knew Joel was capable of taking down a few Runners on his own but if he needed help, she'd gladly go down there with him and help out.

        "I got it," Joel told her. He dropped down to the third floor hallway after Tess had moved aside, Daniella and Nathan having stayed where they were at the edge of the drop. As he crouch walked forward a few steps and picked up a pipe, he heard someone dropping down behind him. He turned his head and stared at Daniella. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

        "Helping," Daniella whispered back. "I'm not just going to let you do this by yourself. If you want, consider this me paying you back for helping me with the heights." She seemed more confident again, more brave than she had been the whole time they were in that building. She wanted to help her father out, not just because he had helped her out but because she wanted to help out. As far as she knew, she only had him and Uncle Tommy, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, as the only real family she had left in that world. She couldn't lose her father, or uncle, like she lost her sister.

        Joel sighed lowly and nodded shortly. "All right," he answered quietly. He didn't give her any advice on how to take care of the Runners and the one Clicker. He knew that she was quiet and could take a few of them out without being caught. She was better at it than he was. She had already proven she was capable of handling herself during those fights on the way to get Robert but Joel still couldn't help that he was worried something could happen to her, especially since they were dealing with Infected and not people like they had been earlier. She was his little girl, no matter how old she got. For the time being, he was going to trust that Daniella would be fine against the Infected like she was fine against actual people. Joel gestured behind Daniella. "You go that way and take out as many as you can. We'll meet in the middle."

        Daniella nodded. She didn't mind splitting up, as long as she helped out with getting rid of all the Infected. She turned from Joel, crouching walking the opposite way of him. She went past the small open walkway to her right, ignoring it and hiding behind the turned over shelve that laid ahead of her. She peeked over gently and immediately ducked back down as she spotted a Runner wandering into the area she was in. Listening closely for it and any Infected that may had been heading her way from behind, she heard the Runner go into the room to her left and she moved quickly, still in crouching mode, after it, killing it with a strangling stealth kill. She picked up the ammo it dropped, quickly placing it into her backpack before she leaned against the wall, listening for any approaching Runners. Spotting a 2x4 nearby, she picked it up as she heard something approaching her. She was prepared to strike but as the figure entered and she swung, she stopped herself from hitting the figure at the last second. "Nathan?!" she whispered angrily. "What the fuck, man?"

        "Wasn't gonna let you have all the fun," Nathan quietly responded, leaning against the wall opposite of her side. He smirked at her. "Besides, someone's gotta save your ass when things go wrong." Truth be told, he only went down there because he was worried that something would happen to her.

        "Yeah and you're the reason why things tend to go wrong," Daniella remarked lowly, angrily. Nathan shrugged and Daniella shook her head from annoyance. She loved Nathan but damn, he sure could be a pain in the fucking ass.

        Joel, on the other hand, had looked back towards the direction his body was facing before Daniella had dropped down as Daniella had moved the opposite way of him and he had slowly moved around the corner, spotting a Runner facing the other direction. It had been jerking around, standing in one place and Joel had creeped up on it, quickly performing a strangling stealth kill. He could've sworn that he heard someone faintly dropping down from the ledge a second time but he thought nothing of it, not knowing that the person was Nathan, and he had hid behind the counter beside the Runner corpse he just dropped. Seconds later, a Runner had moved past the half concrete wall ahead of him and the counter. It only took a few steps, jerked around in one place, and turned back around, going back past the half concrete wall. Joel had moved from his cover behind the counter and was currently against the concrete wall, waiting for the Runner to return. When it did and it was oblivious to him behind right there beside it, Joel took it down as he preformed another strangling stealth kill. All that remained now was one more Runner and a Clicker.

        Back with Daniella and Nathan, the two of them had moved from the room and were back inside the hallway. A Runner was walking around in the back area and once it wasn't looking towards their direction (they were hiding behind cover, thankfully, so they weren't spotted), Daniella moved out of her hiding place and crouch walked hurriedly towards it, killing the last Runner with another strangling stealth kill. The only sounds filling the air now was the sounds of the remaining Infected: the Clicker. As Nathan moved to be by Daniella as they both started moving through the back room to get to the Clicker, Joel moved from his position at the concrete wall and he crouched walked towards the Clicker, a Shiv in his hand which he got from his backpack. He quickly stood, grabbing the Clicker like he had the Runners before it could even react and he stabbed it in face with the Shiv, killing it and dropping its corpse to the ground as Daniella and Nathan crouch walked around the corner of the wall in which the Clicker had been standing against, the two standing up straight after seeing that all the Infected were dead.

        "Nice work," Daniella complimented Joel. "We did good."

        Joel nodded shortly and he glanced at Nathan. "When did you get down here? Weren't you up there with Ellie and Tess?" he questioned him.

        "Yeah but I had gotten tired of waiting. You were taking far too long for my liking," Nathan lied. Daniella and Joel had barely been down there a minute when Nathan had dropped down. And he had told Daniella the truth to why he went down there, except he worded it differently than what it was. He basically told her he went down there to protect her if needed and that was practically why he went down there, but it was mostly cause he had been worried for Daniella's safety.

        Joel shook his head, not believing what Nathan said for a second but he didn't say anything about it. "All right, then." Seconds later, he called out to Ellie and Tess to let them know that they could come down. "Come on down!"

        It didn't take long for Ellie and Tess to drop down from the ledge, and it didn't take them long to head over to where Daniella, Nathan, and Joel were located. Tess whistled, seeing the corpses of the Infected as she and Ellie headed to the others. "I'm impressed by your teamwork," Tess stated. She leaned over and picked up some Revolver ammo, handing it over to Joel. "My gift to you."

        "Pssh." Joel rolled his eyes as he took the ammo from her. It wasn't all that impressive. Anyone could've done that, alone or with others. Some might've been sloppy and some might've been stealthy but still, the perfect stealth they just did wasn't all that impressive at all regardless. At least not in his eyes. After pocking the ammo, Joel headed towards the back room that Daniella and Nathan came through when he killed the Clicker. "Let's just get outta here," Joel told them. He had enough of being there. The sooner they were done with that little 'mission', the better...


	19. To The Subway...

        It didn't take long for Ellie and Tess to drop down from the ledge, and it didn't take them long to head over to where Daniella, Nathan, and Joel were located. Tess whistled, seeing the corpses of the Infected as she and Ellie headed to the others. "I'm impressed by your teamwork," Tess stated. She leaned over and picked up some Revolver ammo, handing it over to Joel. "My gift to you."

        "Pssh." Joel rolled his eyes as he took the ammo from her. It wasn't all that impressive. Anyone could've done that, alone or with others. Some might've been sloppy and some might've been stealthy but still, the perfect stealth they just did wasn't all that impressive at all regardless. At least not in his eyes. After pocking the ammo, Joel headed towards the back room that Daniella and Nathan came through when he killed the Clicker. "Let's just get outta here," Joel told them. He had enough of being there. The sooner they were done with that little 'mission', the better...

        Straight ahead of the five of them was a platform that they could climb. Joel climbed up it first, followed by the females of the group and lastly Nathan. On the platform was a dry-bloodied corpse with ammo sitting beside it to their left and right in front of them was a way out that was blocked by a cabinet. Joel approached the cabinet, ignoring the ammo on the floor, and he began to pull it out of the way. Because of the platform being tilted since the room itself was slightly tilted, he had to hold onto the cabinet. "Alright. Tess, go," he instructed. Tess went into the room that was no longer blocked off with no one following behind her just yet.

        Daniella walked over to the corpse laying nearby and she picked up the ammo, quickly pocketing it before moving back to where she had been standing. She followed Tess into the room, being followed by Ellie and Nathan. "Find anything to keep the cabinet from falling?" she asked Tess.

        "Uh..." Tess was still looking around the new room, looking for anything they could use. She spotted a copier machine sitting against the wall to her left. "Here, this'll work." She grabbed onto one side. Instead of asking Daniella or Nathan for help, she asked Ellie. "Alright, gimme a hand, Ellie." Daniella and Nathan had helped out enough with helping Joel deal with the Infected. She didn't want Ellie to feel like she wasn't very helpful.

        "Yeah." Ellie approached Tess and the copier machine, grabbing onto the same side of it. Daniella and Nathan moved out of the way as the two pushed the copier to the door they just came through, working together to push it through the door that had closed on its own before stopping, making sure that it was where it would stop the cabinet from falling into the way. "Alright. That should do it," Ellie told Joel. Joel released his hold on the cabinet, making it fall back down but it hit against the copier machine that blocked its path. Joel, then, hoped onto the copier and crouched through the big enough gap that was made so that he could be inside the same room as the others.

        "Another step closer to getting out of here," Daniella commented, a half-smile on her face. She wasn't shaking but that could change at any moment in time. "I just can't wait," she continued, speaking honestly. She hated being inside of that building. She really hated god-damn heights and the sooner they were out of there, the better. She didn't want to have another panic attack again. She hated that everyone had to see her in such a state. She couldn't help it.

        Tess walked around the room, looking on the receptionist desk and on the nearby chair in the corner. She grabbed the few bottles of half-empty alcohol and half of scissors. She strode over to where Joel was, he remained by the door he just came through, and she passed the supplies to him. "There, see? We're doin' alright," Tess stated. Joel only hummed and he quickly put the supplies inside of his bag.

        "Define alright," Nathan remarked. "Because I don't see how being stuck inside a collapsing building with Infected, corpses, and limited supplies would be considered alright." He never could see the bright side of anything, could he? He was always thinking the negative. The only positive thing he ever thought about was Daniella and protecting her. Nothing more and nothing less. Just her.

        "That sounds like the definition of alright to me," Daniella replied, crossing her arms and giving Nathan a dirty look. Nathan noticed the look quickly and diverted his eyes to something else. Daniella rolled her eyes and she headed to the end of the room, walking through the open doorway. She took only one step and stopped, immediately sidestepping to the left and turning around to face the wall. "Nope." She didn't have to look over the ledge to know that it was a very long drop down. She knew that they'd find shorter drops that were more realistic for them to go down but she also knew that she'd flip her shit if she looked over the ledge.

        Nathan had followed close behind her after he noticed she walked off. Behind him was Ellie, then Joel and Tess. They all entered the new area. Tess moved to the ledge and looked down. "Well, down we go," she commented. She looked towards where Daniella stood and saw a way they could go to Daniella's right. "This way." She walked past Daniella and she waited by another ledge. Ellie and Joel moved to follow her, Nathan pulling Daniella from her where she stood and following as well with his arm around his lover. One by one, they dropped to the lower floor and crouched under the collapsed ceiling, Nathan sticking close to his trembling lover. Next, one by one, they jumped down to the tiled floor on their left. Heading towards the corner, they dropped down once more and they followed the path to a big opening within the wall. Tess suddenly spoke up, trailing behind Joel as he lead the way. "You know, I was thinkin'. After we get back, we can take it easy for a little while."

        "You want to take it easy?" Joel asked her as they all, continuously one by one, continued down the incline through an open door. He immediately turned left to avoid going into the water and he cut through the opening, the others trailing close behind him in single file. To their left in the new section was a small opening and Joel climbed into it first, the others following behind him. He soon climbed out of the big hole, stepping onto the upper platform. The others followed suit behind him as he stepped aside to give them room.

        "Hey, you're the one who's always going on about layin' low," Tess pointed out after she climbed up. She waited with him, watching for everyone to get to where they currently were so that no one would be left behind accidentally.

        "And you always brushed me off," Joel pointed out as he headed towards the Oliver LLF sign, sticking to the far right to avoid the hole. He crouched underneath a platform and crouch walked until he didn't need to do so anymore. He, then, stepped towards the sign and turned to see that everyone was once again following, like they should.

        Tess had been right behind him when he crouch walked under the platform, sticking very close. "Well, I won't this time," Tess stated, a half-smile on her face.

        "I'll believe it when I see it," Joel said, eyeing her momentarily before he continued further with leading the group, heading further down the path. He dropped down a platform near a fan in the wall and he quickly picked up a few rags that laid on the ground by his feet, pocketing them instead of placing them inside his bag. He, then, continued along the collapsed floor before dropping down to the bottom floor. Tess followed behind him and they both took a few steps forward before stopping, turning and waiting for the others to come down after them.

        Having not dropped down to the next floor yet and still standing near the fan with the final two females, Nathan decided to check up on Daniella as they slowly continued down the path to be where Joel and Tess were. "Are you doing okay?" he whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder. He had let go of her earlier when they were dropping down platforms and climbing up other platforms. He, however, stayed by her the whole time, just in case.

        "Mhm," she hummed in reply. "But now it's exactly the best time for talking," she whispered back. "Infected could jump out at any moment. Best to keep quiet." She hoped that Joel and Tess would start lowering their voices a bit, too. They weren't exactly out of the woods and into the clear just yet. They were still in some dangerous territory. And even adults could forget the dangers of the Pandemic World sometimes when their minds went to something else. She dropped down to where Joel and Tess stood.

        Nathan didn't drop down right away, instead looking towards Ellie whom was standing a little ways behind him. He probably should've let her go in front of them earlier but he had his mind on other things. He was sure Daniella had her mind preoccupied, too, or she would've made sure Ellie was in front. "Psst, Ellie," he gently said. "You haven't spoken in a while. You okay?" He was showing some concern for her, which caused him to mentally curse at himself. He shouldn't get attached to her since they would be parting ways soon enough. He didn't like this fact at all.

        "I'm good," Ellie told him softly. She walked past him and dropped down to the bottom floor where the others were.

        Nathan mumbled under his breath. "Alright, then." He dropped down behind her after she moved out of the way. He watched as Joel and Tess moved forward, heading further down the subway they entered while Daniella gently pat Ellie on the head, smiling before gesturing for Ellie to go ahead of her. Ellie followed behind Joel and Tess. Nathan approached Daniella as they both began to follow behind the others. "Dani, I'm not liking that I'm starting to feel concerned about the girl, somewhat," he whispered to her. Daniella placed her right hand to her lips, snickering into her hand. "What?" Nathan questioned quietly.

        Daniella waved her hand after removing it from her mouth. "I figured this would happen eventually. But I didn't expect it to happen so soon. You see, the more you are around someone, the more you grow to care for that person," she explained gently. "Don't worry about those feelings. Shit happens and you can't help it," she continued softly. Nathan sighed lowly and nodded, even though Daniella couldn't see him nod. They both approached the others whom stood by a corpse that laid on the ground. Laying beside the corpse was a Molotov Cocktail.

        "Look at his sleeve," Tess instructed them. "Firefly."

        Joel looked down at the corpse, soon crouching down beside it to examine and take the Molotov. He stood back up straight before looking at the corpse again. "These guys aren't doin' too well in or out of the city. Let's hope there's someone alive to meet us at the drop-off."

        "I'm sure there will be someone, Dad," Daniella stated. "Has to be." She walked past them, heading further into the subway. There was a staircase to her left that was blocked off by large pieces of debris. She headed towards the right, spotting a hole they could crouch through. She turned around and headed back a little bit, seeing everyone by the stairs. "Yo. This way," she instructed, waving them all over. None of them had a clue that danger awaited just ahead of them...


	20. Mistakes Were Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title said. Mistakes were made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Mainly Action Filled (Stealth Mission). There is a PewDiePie Reference in Here, Due to Me Following His Gameplay Somewhat As I Make This. First Two Paragraphs Are A Recap Due To Long Wait!
> 
>         Old Author's Note (didn't feel like removing it): So, here is my information regarding my situation. I am using my brother's laptop and I only have limited amounts of time on it so during the day while he is at school (up until Summer Vacation begins), I will work on my book and during the night while he is going to bed (up until Summer Vacation begins), I will work on JUST this fanfiction until it is eventually finished (hopefully) before I move on to a different one (hopefully) and I will chat with my friends. I will try to keep up with this plan until something happens to change it, like Summer Vacation for example. Wish me much luck.
> 
>         July 7th, 2017 A/N Update: Got a new laptop today. My brother's laptop had fucked up thanks to the battery (he had gotten an used laptop, thankfully I got a new one as an early 20th b-day present [and mostly likely one of the last I'll ever get cause I'm too old to keep getting gifts and at this point, I didn't want anything but a laptop and I got just that so I am good!]). I'll be updating only this fanfiction for now but most likely, I will revert back to my a month at a time thing that I had going on before shit went down with both laptops. Thank you everyone who has remained patient and has not left, it was worth the wait but we've got a long journey ahead of us because...
> 
>         THIS FANFICTION WILL HAVE SEVENTY-ONE CHAPTERS, NOT INCLUDING THE PROLOGUE, THE EPILOGUE, AND THE PREVIEW OF OUR PANDEMIC WORLD II.

        Joel looked down at the corpse, soon crouching down beside it to examine and take the Molotov. He stood back up straight before looking at the corpse again. "These guys aren't doin' too well in or out of the city. Let's hope there's someone alive to meet us at the drop-off."

        "I'm sure there will be someone, Dad," Daniella stated. "Has to be." She walked past them, heading further into the subway. There was a staircase to her left that was blocked off by large pieces of debris. She headed towards the right, spotting a hole they could crouch through. She turned around and headed back a little bit, seeing everyone by the stairs. "Yo. This way," she instructed, waving them all over. None of them had a clue that danger awaited just ahead of them...

        As they each continued further into the subway and they each ducked under the collapsed floor, the immediate danger became very known to them as they all heard the very familiar clicking of multiple Infected Clickers. Upon spotting a Clicker strolling around dead ahead of them and seeing it disappear around the corner, they all froze where they were for a few seconds as they worried about making a sudden loud noise before they each moved to be located behind something. Ellie, Tess, and Joel were crouching behind a vending machine that had been tipped over onto its side while Daniella and Nathan hid behind a row of lockers that were still standing, although Nathan had to uncrouch and lean against the wall while Daniella remained crouched because there wasn't much room for them both.

        "Shit," Tess cursed under her breath. "God, we're almost out." They just had to come across another tough obstacle. What wonderful luck they had. She looked over at Joel. "Okay, Joel, you take point. I'll watch the rear with Nathan," she whispered. Tess looked around for Nathan and when she spotted him, he gave her a thumbs up to show that he heard her. She nodded slightly and she looked at Ellie. "Ellie, no matter what, you stay right on Joel's heels with Daniella. Understood?"

        "Sure," Ellie breathed out as she moved out from behind cover and over to where Daniella was removing herself from behind cover, both still crouching as they moved to be behind Joel, whom moved to be crouching between the tipped over vending machine and lockers. Nathan crouched back down after pulling himself from the wall and he waited for Tess to relocate over to him. Soon, they all began to slowly move one after another but they did keep a good amount of distance between themselves to avoid any clutter or any accidents via running into one another.

        Joel, being the leader, made a move first. He moved forward slowly and, with the others slowly following him, he temporarily paused as he moved closer to the lockers. He reached into one and pulled out a Shiv, holding it out backwards towards Daniella so that she could have it since he had plenty of good items already. Daniella silently took it and she placed it into her shoe instead of removing her backpack to place it in there. Joel then grabbed a pack of ammo for his Revolver and he pocketed it. Just after he did so, the Clicker from before had made an reappearance as it walked past again, going the opposite way; some Clickers had a walking route like this Clicker, it just going back and forth, never moving anywhere else while others would either remain still or walked aimlessly everywhere.

        "That guy has so much swag, I don't even know what to do about it," Nathan whispered. He was speaking of the Clicker that had just walked past them, it walking as if it were a drunken person. He had to admit that the Clickers have a weird, intriguing way of moving around.

        Daniella had to fight her urge to laugh out loud. "Nathan, shut up," she whispered harshly to him. "Now is not the time for jokes." Nathan didn't answer back but he certainly got the memo. Shortly after she finished speaking, the Clicker walked by them yet again but this time, things happened differently. With the Clicker close enough to them to hear anything that occurred, Joel picked up a nearby brick and he tossed it into the wall ahead of them all. Two Clickers and a Runner that had been feeding on a corpse nearby made loud clicks, and shrieks, as they ran over to the wall that the brick had hit. With the three dumb Infected at the wall, Joel pulled out the Molotov that he had picked up earlier and he tossed it, eliminating the three with one shot as a fire consumed the three Infected. None of the remaining Infected in the area came in their direction, thankfully. Daniella wanted to praise her father for his smart actions but chose not to because of the situation.

        Joel moved forward, heading to the wall that he had thrown the brick and he hopped through the open area, the others waiting behind him on the other side of the wall as he looked around for more Infected Clickers or Runners. Having entered the central area, he spotted another Clicker and a Runner in the area. The Clicker was outside the area in which Joel was within and so was the Runner. Moving forward several steps, Joel went left through the open doorway and moved right as the Clicker moved towards the store to the left of Daniella, Ellie, Nathan, and Tess, it having gone the opposite way of where Joel went. Daniella tossed a brick into said store and with the Clicker running into it, she and the others finally followed behind Joel again, catching up with him quickly but quietly. As they finally reached Joel, Joel had finished strangling the Runner that stood at the corner of the wall.

        Backtracking, Joel turned around and went back into the area he had left, only this time the others followed behind him. He continued forward with the others until they reached the opposite wall and they maneuvered over the open window. Ahead of them was a bookstore with a Runner inside. Instead of entering the bookstore, they headed left towards the exit. Standing in front of where they needed to go was another Clicker, this one clearly not moving around like the others and the only movement it made was the twitch of its head.

        "Son of a dick on a stick," Nathan cursed under his breath. "Any bright ideas as to how we get by this one?"

        "Just..." Joel muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, minus the Clicker. "Just hold on." He moved towards the corner wall, picking up a bottle that was lying around. He looked back towards the others and they all knew exactly what he was going to do, each of them moving to be against a nearby wall and they each made sure that their backs were practically locked to it. Without any other choice, Joel tossed the bottle into the open area they had all exited from earlier. The Clicker let out a noise but didn't make a move to go; the noise hadn't been close enough. "Damn it," Joel cursed lowly.

        "Great job. Our hero. We're saved," Nathan muttered sarcastically. Joel sent a glare his way. The two of them certainly couldn't see eye to eye sometimes still, despite what they've been through together thus far. The only thing keeping Joel from giving Nathan a piece of his mind about his attitude was the Clicker nearby and the fact that Nathan saved Daniella, and helped her, on multiple occasions. Nathan really needed to work on his people skills or, at least, dial down his rudeness and sarcasm, especially during serious moments like this. Taking matters into his own hands, Nathan picked up a brick lying at his feet and he tossed it but his mark was way off. Instead of the brick landing anywhere near where Joel had tossed the bottle (Nathan was trying to make the brick land closer for the Clicker to hear but have it still located in the same area they wanted the Clicker to wander off to), the brick hit the corner of the wall near where they all were located and the Clicker definitely heard it.

        The Clicker moved close to them as it released its loud clicking tones, it growing too close for comfort. Everyone was forced to sit as still as possible and hope that the Clicker wouldn't randomly head in one of their directions because a death by a Clicker is a bit slow and extremely painful. The clicker was facing the wall in which the brick had broke against and there wasn't anything anyone could do to get rid of it; there weren't any bricks or bottles near any of them and they couldn't risk burning themselves alive with a Molotov along with the Clicker, and they certainly couldn't risk shooting it or the remaining Clicker and Runner that they past would come to their area. There seemed like there wasn't anything they could do but wait for a miracle or wait for a death.

        As they waited for either the death of one of them or the miracle of the Clicker wandering off, Daniella shifted uncomfortably from where she crouched. Her eyes on the Clicker, she lowered her hands to the floor beneath her and she hurriedly, but quietly, searched blindly for something, anything and she found a brick very close to the wall she was against, located in a place where it couldn't have been seen by any of them because none of them could remove their eyes from the Clicker nor move even the slightest to look around. She slowly picked the brick up and lifted it slowly after maneuvering her hands back to being on either side of her, soon rising her arm up and tossing the brick down the hall a little ways from them. Hearing the sound of the brick hitting the floor, the Clicker let out another loud clicking tone before running past them and heading in its direction. Hurriedly, everyone headed to where the Clicker had originally been located.

        "Nice thinking," Tess whispered to Daniella after they were located underneath the exit. "You saved our asses."

        "Thanks," Daniella whispered back. "Now, let's get out of here before it wanders back. We were lucky enough that it had stayed facing the wall for a while but I don't think we'll get so lucky this time." The sooner they got out of there, the better.

        Tess nodded in agreement and she looked towards Joel. Joel stood up quickly, as did Tess, and he boosted her up so that she could reach the ladder directly above them all. She pulled the ladder down and it landed perfectly but with a loud thud. Fortunately, the Clicker hadn't heard anything and they were still clear of detection. One after the other, they all took turns going up the ladder (Tess first and Joel last) and moving through the hole in the wall, dropping onto a parked trailer car before dropping down to the ground below. Once they were all safe and sound, things quickly became heated as Joel roughly gripped onto Nathan's clothing while they all stood grouped together on ruined subway tracks. "What the hell were you thinking?" Joel questioned him angrily.

        Nathan stared at him, ashamed. He answered Joel back softly. "I just wanted to do something good and I... I screwed up." He didn't attempt to glance over at anyone, keeping his eyes locked with Joel's. Daniella, Ellie, and Tess watched in discomfort but none made a move to stop the conversation.

        "You nearly got us all killed back there," Joel pointed out harshly, releasing his hold on Nathan while holding his glare. What Nathan had done was stupid. He hadn't thought about the consequences of if he failed to do as planned. He could've gotten them killed. The second Nathan made that screw up was the second Joel's growing trust towards him died. He no longer cared about the times Nathan saved and helped Daniella, the few times Nathan helped them all out. Nathan had fucked up big time and Joel wasn't going to be able to forgive him for it that easily, not when the mistake nearly got them slaughtered. He'd have to do something big to make up for it.

        Nathan finally returned the glare. "Well, excuse me, princess but not everyone has a good throwing arm like you and Daniella do." So what if he had screwed up? Everyone has their flaws, everyone has made the biggest mistakes. At least they were alive. At least they had gotten lucky. Deep down, however, he felt guilty because he nearly got his girlfriend, his girlfriend's father, and his two friends killed. He hadn't meant to but he just couldn't stand being in that place any longer and he threw the brick without thinking about his aim being slightly off.

        "You need to get that attitude of yours checked, son," Joel told him, his glare remaining. He was really pissed off about the mistake. Anyone would if they were in this situation. Especially if a family member's life was put on the line because of said mistake.

        "Screw you." Nathan pushed Joel away from him roughly, things looking to become more physical.

        Tess finally stepped in, stopping the argument in its place. "Just stop. You two always turn hay into shit when something goes wrong. We don't have time for this nonsense." She had a point. What happened, happened and they couldn't change it. There was no need to get worked up about it right now when they had a mission to continue.

        "When something goes wrong?" Nathan questioned Tess, scoffing as he looked at her. "Try every damn time I do anything that makes me flawed. Anything that makes me the wrong man for Daniella." He shook his head and moved past her, heading up the debris of the abandoned subway area quickly. Daniella followed after him a few seconds later, meaning to speak with him really quick. Behind them, the others were slowly following and at the pace they were going, the couple had a least a minute of alone time. "What the hell do you want, Daniella?" Nathan asked harshly as they both stood on the level ground of the downtown proper.

        Daniella hesitated before speaking, her eyes teary as she stared at her angry, distressed boyfriend. "...You hadn't meant for that to happen. It was not your fault." Nathan scoffed and turned away from her, walking onward. Daniella followed him. "Any one of us could have made that mistake, myself included. You don't need to feel bad about it." She knew he was a little upset about his actions.

        "You don't make mistakes often. And when you do, it's usually because of me," Nathan stated. He stopped walking and turned towards her. He placed his hands on her arms. "I almost got you killed, Daniella. I almost lost you because of what I did. How do you expect me to feel about that, huh? And now because of what I did, your father hates my guts. Again. I was this close." He released one of her arms and held up his hands, putting two of his fingers close together. "This close to getting him to trust me completely, to get him to accept that you and I are together by proving that I care about you deeply but I fucked it all up and he'll never trust me again."

        "Give it time," Daniella whispered. "He'll come around." She gripped his vest and gently pulled him into a passionate kiss. A few seconds later, he returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. After multiple more seconds, Nathan gently pushed Daniella away from him with a soft groan. "What is it?" Daniella asked him gently.

        "Nothing. Just..." Nathan smiled a little, his mood better than it had been before the kiss. "Don't start something we can't finish." Daniella let out a soft laugh, smiling slightly and shaking her head at his thinking process. Seconds later, the two of them heard the others reaching the same level of ground they were on and they moved away from each other, looking towards the three.

        "You guys are pretty good at this stuff," Ellie remarked as soon as they were all standing together again. "I mean, apart from what happened back there." Regardless of what had happened, though, she was very impressed with all of them.

        Joel sent a glare Nathan's way before he responded to what Ellie said. "It's called luck and it is gonna run out." He turned towards Tess. "Which way we goin', Tess?" She knew the location more than he did, not to mention she was a better navigator than he was at times.

        Tess looked around at their surroundings and she spotted the capitol building off in the distance towards their right. "Capitol building's in this direction," she stated, pointing towards where she spotted the building. She, then, looked at the obstacle that laid in their path in that direction: a truck. "How do we get over this truck?"

        Daniella crossed her arms. "I suppose we should start looking around for something. Like a dumpster."

        Joel nodded in agreement. "Let's see what we can find."

        Before the four of them made a move to start searching, the shrieks of Runners filled the air and they spotted Nathan running out of the building nearby. While they all had been talking, Nathan had moved away from all of them and he had recklessly entered the historic building towards their left, but he had entered through the front door and not from the hole in the wall in which he was currently running out of, heading straight towards the four of them with Infected on his ass. "Infected!" he shouted, even though they all knew that Infected were in the area because of him.

        Daniella, Joel, and Tess each pulled out their weapons, opening fire on the Infected Runners as soon as Nathan was out of the way. The three Infected Runners were downed in seconds. But soon, another argument between Nathan and Joel took place. "That's twice now," Joel told Nathan as he placed his gun back in its holster.

        Nathan glared at him. "They were Runners. Three of them. What, you suddenly can't handle any kind of Infected anymore? If they had been Clickers, I would've taken them out the old fashion stealthy way. I'm not as reckless as you believe me to be."

        "I'd say you're pretty reckless after what you pulled earlier," Joel stated, crossing his arms as he glared back at Nathan.

        "Stop!" Daniella yelled, stepping in between them with her back facing Nathan. "What happened earlier was an accident, a mistake. He hadn't meant it. He was only trying to get us out of there and mistakes were made. You've made mistakes like that before, too, and so have I, and so has Tess. You can't be so hard on him for it."

        "You could've died. We all could've died, Daniella!" Joel pointed past her, towards Nathan. "All because of his mistake."

        Daniella stood her ground, staring at him. "Like I said, we all make mistakes. So, you have no right to be so hard on him for it." She didn't care that she was basically talking back to her father. Nathan didn't deserve any hate for a mistake that he made. She may had stayed back in the previous argument but she was glad she stepped in this time around. "Now, let's find a damn dumpster and get the hell out of here. Those soldiers were recently infected by the looks of it so there has to be more near this area. We need to get moving and soon or our luck will finally run out."

        Joel decided to listen to his daughter, and ignore that she was talking back to him, because she was right, on the account of more Infected possibly being in the area. He didn't care if every single one of them has made mistakes before, Nathan's nearly got them killed and he wasn't going to just take that lightly like everyone else. "Fine," he answered. He stepped around her and he moved to where he was in Nathan's face. "Once we're done here, I expect you to be moving on elsewhere." He didn't want Nathan near his daughter after this mission of theirs was over. With that said, he walked away from him and he entered the building that Nathan had run out of...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talking back has few meanings and in the case of the last two paragraphs, talking back was talking rudely/sounding rude while talking.
> 
>         Nathan's first comment was from Part 4 of Pewds gameplay of "The Last of Us". Nathan's actions towards the end of this chapter is from the beginning of Part 5 of Pewds gameplay. I'm a huge fan of Pewds, old and new. You'll be seeing some more references to his gameplay in future chapters but not very often.
> 
>         Thank you for reading. I'll be updating again soon enough. Love ya. See ya real soon. Bye.


	21. Day At The Museum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This Is Longer Than What The Chapters Usually Are, Sort Of. Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs Somewhat. Partially Filled With The Usual (Chatting, Wandering Around). First Three Paragraphs Is Recap (Recaps, From Now On, Are In Italic). PewDiePie Reference Inside From Part 5 of His Gameplay.
> 
> Please, do enjoy! Decided that I'll be updating all of this week for this fanfiction. Then, after four weeks, I'll be back with more updates for this fanfiction (switching to another fanfic each week to keep things interesting for me).

         _"You could've died. We all could've died, Daniella!" Joel pointed past her, towards Nathan. "All because of his mistake."_

_Daniella stood her ground, staring at him. "Like I said, we all make mistakes. So, you have no right to be so hard on him for it." She didn't care that she was basically talking back to her father. Nathan didn't deserve any hate for a mistake that he made. She may had stayed back in the previous argument but she was glad she stepped in this time around. "Now, let's find a damn dumpster and get the hell out of here. Those soldiers were recently infected by the looks of it so there has to be more near this area. We need to get moving and soon or our luck will finally run out."_

_Joel decided to listen to his daughter, and ignore that she was talking back to him, because she was right, on the account of more Infected possibly being in the area. He didn't care if every single one of them has made mistakes before, Nathan's nearly got them killed and he wasn't going to just take that lightly like everyone else. "Fine," he answered. He stepped around her and he moved to where he was in Nathan's face. "Once we're done here, I expect you to be moving on elsewhere." He didn't want Nathan near his daughter after this mission of theirs was over. With that said, he walked away from him and he entered the building that Nathan had run out of..._

As Joel entered the building through the gaping hole in its side, he spotted a dumpster sitting in the middle of the room. Not having much time, he went straight to the dumpster and went around it, grabbing ahold of it and beginning to push it out of the building. Ignoring the urge to search for any supplies that might had been in that building, he pushed the dumpster out of the gaping hole in the wall and brought it to a rest next to the wedged semi-truck that was blocking their way outside. "Climb on up," he instructed everyone as he climbed onto the dumpster first, climbing onto the trailer of the semi-truck. Silently, the others followed behind him as he dropped down on the other side of the semi-truck and they soon followed suit behind him.

        Ellie and Tess began following close behind Joel as he moved down the street, heading towards a dead end. Behind them, Daniella made a move to follow close behind the other females but was held back by Nathan. She looked towards him questionably before glancing quickly back at the other three momentarily. "What is it? We've got to move," she hushedly asked and stated.

        Although she didn't see it because she was looking elsewhere, Nathan was smiling down at her. "Thank you," he said. It made him very happy when Daniella stood up for him that second time. She had talked back to her own father for him. It showed that she cared about him much more than he had originally thought. He didn't want to screw things up any further because he just couldn't lose her, especially not now.

        Daniella turned to look at him again, confused for only a second before she realized what he was thanking her for and she nodded slightly. "You're welcome." She started blushing, becoming modest. "I would've done that for anyone. And I should've done it earlier when the first argument occurred but I didn't and I apologize for that."

        "You have nothing to apologize for," Nathan told her, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. "And don't be so modest." He moved his left hand down to her right. "Just accept my thanks before I take it back," he joked, still smiling at her.

        Daniella laughed a little. "Whatever. Come on, you goofball." She pulled him along as she saw that the others were waiting for them at an overhead door up ahead. "Sorry," she apologized to them. She frowned when she noticed Joel giving Nathan another glare. "Dad, don't start up again. Please."

        Joel turned his harsh stare from Nathan and he looked at the overhead door. "As I was saying," he started, picking back up from where he left off before he realized that Daniella and Nathan hadn't been with them. "Maybe we can cut through here." He gripped onto the chain beside the overhead door, pulling down on it as he slowly opened up the door.

        "Yeah, that worked out great last time," Ellie remarked sarcastically. "Sorry," she quickly apologized. "I'm just sayin'."

        "I'm starting to like this kid more and more," Nathan whispered in Daniella's ear. She giggled in response, nodding in agreement as she smiled at Ellie. Ellie sheepishly smiled back when she saw that Daniella was smiling at her and she soon looked away bashfully, knowing fully well that she had amused Daniella and Nathan despite not having heard what Nathan said.

        As Joel continued opening the overhead door for them to enter the garage, a noisy cry ringed in the distance. Tess heard it and looked off towards where they had came, Daniella and Nathan both doing the same 'cause they had heard it as well. "Shh, shh," Tess hissed to Joel. Behind her, Nathan gently pushed Daniella in front of him, moving her closer to the door as he released her hand. He also gestured for Ellie, who saw the gesture, to move closer to the door as well, which she did.

        "What?" Joel questioned as he paused his pulling of the chain, holding onto it tightly. "I don't hear anything," he told her. But Daniella, Nathan, and Tess certainly had heard it.

        Tess realized they didn't have much time to waste anymore. "Okay, double-time." Infected were entering the area and they didn't have much time to get away. They needed to haul ass, now.

        "Oh, shit..." Joel cursed as he realized where Tess was getting at. He began pulling the chain faster and as hard as he could. The cries of the Infected became louder as they grew closer.

        "You could help him out, you know!" Nathan exclaimed to Tess. Tess glared at him, giving him a look that silently said 'you could help him out yourself, too, you know'.

        "They're coming," Ellie commented, panicked as she saw Infected climbing onto the semi-truck from the way they had came. They only had mere seconds to get away at this point. She moved even closer to the almost half-way open door.

        "Hurry!" Daniella exclaimed, her eyes towards the Infected that were approaching.

        "I know!" Joel managed to get the door half-way open at last.

        Tess noticed and quickly told Joel to stop. "Okay, that's good. That's good." She started making her away underneath the door and she pulled Ellie along with her. "Go." They both crawled underneath the door hurriedly and behind them, Daniella and Nathan quickly followed. Daniella and Tess quickly held onto the door together. "Okay, Joel!" Tess yelled. Joel quickly let go of the chain and crawled under as the Infected reached him. One Infected Runner attempted to grab him as she made moves to crawl after him but the door slammed shut as Daniella and Tess released their hold of it, all of them safe after narrowly escaping the Infected that were pounding on the overhead door.

        "Nice work, ladies," Nathan commented, praising them. He pulled Daniella into his arms, letting out a huff of breath. "We made it once again." Daniella hummed in response and kissed his cheek, hugging him back.

        Ellie looked down at Joel's feet as he moved to stand with them. "Oh. You got something on your shoe." Joel looked down, spotting the severed arm of the Infected woman that had reached for him. It appears she had gotten ahold of him after all. He scoffed and kicked the arm off his shoe. "Gross," Ellie remarked, making a face. Nathan looked over at her and chuckled, shaking his head.

        Joel took a look around the garage they had entered. There was a large semi-truck, larger than the one from outside, in the middle of the garage. There were quite a few crates here and there all around. There was a work station in the far left of the garage. Lots of tools laying around. "Okay. How do we get out of this place?" he wondered out loud.

        "Let's find out," Tess commented as she looked around. She started heading up the ramp on the left side of the truck, Ellie following behind her. Joel headed towards the right, looking for any supplies but finding none right away. Daniella and Nathan remained by the overheard door, still within each other's arms and saying nothing to one another; they didn't have to say anything for their thoughts to come across to one another. Tess moved to stand near the work station and she turned towards Ellie, deciding to make conversation with her. "So, Marlene thinks your immune?" she asked curiously. Daniella and Nathan both pulled away from each other at the moment, both moving to be closer to Ellie and Tess because they wanted to listen in, having barely heard Tess' question.

        "Well, that's what she believes," Ellie answered honestly.

        "Well, how were you bitten?" Tess asked as she glanced towards Daniella and Nathan, whom stood on the ramp behind Ellie as they listened in. She looked back towards Ellie. "I mean, you must've been somewhere you shouldn't to find an Infected in the zone." There were always Infected inside the zone but the locations they were in were always off-limits to everyone for their safety.

        "Yeah, I'd sneak out," Ellie revealed. "I was in this military boarding school."

        "I'd sneak out too," Nathan commented. "Because fuck that bullshit. There's no point to it. Everyone knows that you just point and shoot anything that is a threat nowadays." He knew it wasn't as simple as that but he just didn't like anything to do with the military. He hated authority figures like that. Daniella tilted her head to the right slightly before straightening it back up, halfway agreeing with Nathan.

        "You'd sneak out?" Tess questioned Ellie, ignoring Nathan.

        "You know, explore the city," Ellie explained. "I was in the mall when I ran into Infected." What she didn't reveal was that she hadn't been alone. She had been with her best-friend, Riley, who died as a result of being bitten too.

        "That place is completely off-limits," Tess pointed out. Daniella and Nathan nodded in agreement before they both shared a look with each other; they've been inside that mall before themselves two weeks prior to right then and luckily, they hadn't been attacked. "How the hell did you get in there?"

        "I..." Ellie hesitated. She decided to continue keeping her friend a secret. "...Had my ways. Anyways, one of those what you guys call Runners bit me and that was that." She was telling the truth, at least, but she didn't really want to mention Riley to them.

        "Damn," Nathan commented. He had expected any story as to why she had gotten bitten but he hadn't expected one as simple as that. "Well, at least you didn't turn, kiddo." He looked towards Daniella, wondering why she hadn't said anything during the conversation but saw the look on her face and decided to stop interrupting with his comments.

        "I see," Tess replied. "Were you with Marlene when you were bitten?"

        "No," Ellie answered. "I went to her for help afterwards." She shifted slightly on her feet, looking down at her hands as she placed them together in front of her.

        Tess nodded. "Knowing her, I'm surprised she didn't shoot you." Marlene tended to be someone who'd shoot first and ask questions either later or never. She glanced towards Daniella, recalling the time that Daniella had been a Firefly and it had only been for a short period of time.

        "She almost did," Ellie admitted. "Hope she's alright." She was worried about her friend, remembering the wound Marlene had when she last saw her. Was she still alive? Was she going to heal okay? She didn't know.

        "I told you. She's gonna be fine," Tess gently told her as she looked back at her. She looked past Ellie to see Joel walking towards them from the other side of the semi-truck and she moved from where she stood, moving closer to the door that was beside the work station. "Find anything?" she asked him. He shook his head and walked past her, opening the nearby door and heading through it, followed by the others.

        Picking up the Revolver ammo on the desk in the room as he went pass it, he headed towards the room across from where he was. Opening it, he entered another room and, taking a moment, he looked for some supplies, finding some rags. In the room behind him, Daniella pulled out some alcohol from with a drawer that Joel hadn't checked. Standing by her side were Ellie and Nathan, Tess following behind Joel.

        "How you doin', Ellie?" Daniella asked as she placed the alcohol carefully into her bag. While she was at it, she went ahead and crouched down, beginning to create a few Shivs, Health Kits, and Molotovs from all the supplies she had gathered thus far.

        "I'm fine. Just...surviving somehow," Ellie answered. She studied Daniella as she watched her craft items. "You always have so much stuff with you?" she asked out of curiosity.

        Daniella looked up and smiled a bit. "No. I just love picking up anything useful. Better safe than sorry. Now, we've got some supplies to help us out if we need to use them." She pulled the Shiv in her shoe out, placing it inside her bag. "Always plan ahead so that you don't get screwed," she advised. Ellie nodded, listening to her advice which she would later use. Daniella stood back up and exited through a different door than the one that Joel, and Tess, used, entering a large room with a collapsed floor, crates, broken glass, broken objects, fallen object, and any other debris.

        "Damn," Nathan commented as he looked at a fallen bell. "Something really strong had to have knocked that over." He noticed a vase sitting on a crate beside the fallen bell and his eyebrow raised questionably. "Yet that antique vase made it somehow through all this shit," he continued. "Imagine that."

        Daniella looked over at the vase. "Huh. Yeah, imagine that." It was rare to find anything unbroken that had once been valuable in some way. "But since you've said something, it'll probably get broken soon. You jinxed it." Nathan shrugged it off, not caring at all about it. He looked to his right and spotted Joel, and Tess, exiting from another room. He let out a sigh when Joel glared at him again, looking back towards the vase. He glanced towards Daniella and noticed her staring at him. He looked at her questionably. "Give it time," she whispered. It hadn't even been thirty minutes since Nathan's fuck up so of course Joel was still pissed off about the mistake that could've killed them all. Nathan simply nodded in response to her.

        Joel walked by Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie, heading around the crate and towards the collapsed floor. He climbed it, heading to the second floor. Daniella, Ellie, Nathan, and Tess slowly began to follow him but took their time doing so as they looked around the room of the first floor. Daniella and Nathan went by the crate, moving to stand at the collapsed floor and they turned in time to see Ellie, who was looking around curiously, backing up into the vase that stood on the crate, making it fall over and break. "Oh, shit. Sorry. Sorry, that was me," she said shortly afterwards as she looked at the vase she accidentally broke.

        "Told you," Daniella remarked to Nathan as she smirked, turning around to head up the collapsed floor.

        Nathan nodded. "Yeah, you did," he responded as he followed behind her. Behind him, Ellie and Tess followed, soon all of them on the second floor. Joel lead the way through the museum, the others following slowly behind him. He exited the room they were currently in, heading through the open door. He continued on through the exhibits as he circled around toward the right, heading through another open doorway. He headed over to the cabinet at the far right of the new room he entered, gathering up the few rags that laid in the broken glass carefully.

        In the room he had exited, Ellie started making conversation with Daniella, Nathan, and Tess. "What is this place?" she asked them.

        "It's an old museum. Some of these things are hundreds of years old," Tess explained.

        "Really? Wow." Ellie looked at some of the ship antiques that somewhat remained. She was impressed, even though most of the items were mainly broken.

        "I know right?" Daniella grinned. "It's amazing." She continued into the next room where Joel was. She nodded towards an area where they could duck through. "Dad, I think we can head through there."

        Joel looked towards Daniella before following her eye sight. He nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right." He walked over to the opening and crouched, ducking through the demolished room. Daniella followed, and Ellie, Tess, and Nathan followed behind her one by one into the tight space. Joel interacted with the wooden beam underneath the rubble that blocked the way. "Watch your head," he told them. Only Daniella, Ellie, and Tess made it through before the debris collapsed, preventing Joel and Nathan from being able to follow behind them. "Shit. Son of a..."

        "Nathan! Dad!" Daniella exclaimed as Tess exclaimed, "Joel! Nathan!"

        "We're alive," Joel answered as he looked towards the distraught, and annoyed, Nathan. He looked back towards the debris. "We'll make our way around to you." How was the question. They couldn't go back where they came from and they couldn't go forward. Perhaps there was an opening they missed? If there was, they needed to head through it. They had to regroup with the others somehow.

        The loud shrieks of various Clickers filled the air, causing almost everyone to go into some sort of panic. Joel and Nathan helplessly looked around as the sounds got closer, both of their eyes locked on mainly Daniella. Daniella, reacting to the noises, gripped onto Ellie's arm tightly and started backing away with her, her right arm out towards Tess. "Tess!" Her eyes were shifting around everywhere, trying to figure out where the Clickers would enter. Ellie remained glued to Daniella's side, her eyes shifting around to every possible opening in the room.

        "They're here!" Tess exclaimed as she looked towards her left, just about as panicked as everyone else. She backed up to where Daniella and Ellie were, turning to face them and she gestured quickly for them to do the same. "Run, run!" Without another word, Daniella and Ellie both turned, and they both began running with Tess right behind them.

        "Shit," Joel cursed as the three girls disappeared from his eye sight.

        "Damn it..." Nathan groaned slightly after cursing under his breath. "And of all people to get stuck with..." He didn't finish his sentence as Joel looked over at him with a glare. "What?" he whispered. He gave Joel a look. "Like you're fond of this situation yourself. But you're stuck with me and I with you. So, let's just pretend for maybe...five minutes that we're the best of friends. Okay? I mean, you want to live through this or not?"

        Joel let out a long sigh as he listened to the Clickers that were nearby. "Just stay quiet and follow me. Don't do anything except that." They couldn't afford to have Nathan screw up this time. They just couldn't. It was either complete stealth or immediate death, though it did depend on how many Clickers there were in the area. He gestured for Nathan to scoot backwards a bit so that he could get by, Nathan doing so, and Joel began to backtrack out of the demolished room along the new path that he spotted once he looked away from Nathan. Nathan followed close behind him and they both entered a new room where the Clickers were located...


	22. Battle at the Museum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. First Three Paragraphs Are a Recap.

_"Shit," Joel cursed as the three girls disappeared from his eye sight._

_"Damn it..." Nathan groaned slightly after cursing under his breath. "And of all people to get stuck with..." He didn't finish his sentence as Joel looked over at him with a glare. "What?" he whispered. He gave Joel a look. "Like you're fond of this situation yourself. But you're stuck with me and I with you. So, let's just pretend for maybe...five minutes that we're the best of friends. Okay? I mean, you want to live through this or not?"_

_Joel let out a long sigh as he listened to the Clickers that were nearby. "Just stay quiet and follow me. Don't do anything except that." They couldn't afford to have Nathan screw up this time. They just couldn't. It was either complete stealth or immediate death, though it did depend on how many Clickers there were in the area. He gestured for Nathan to scoot backwards a bit so that he could get by, Nathan doing so, and Joel began to backtrack out of the demolished room along the new path that he spotted once he looked away from Nathan. Nathan followed close behind him and they both entered a new room where the Clickers were located..._

Joel exited into the hallway, taking several small steps forward before glancing back towards Nathan, seeing him following suit. So far, so good. He turned his attention back towards what laid in front of him. To their left and straight ahead of them, within the damaged and messy room of the museum, were open doorways but the sound of Clickers were coming from either side, indicating that neither choice mattered much since either way, they'd be heading towards danger. They went with the double doors to their left, heading through the open door silently. Upon spotting a Clicker in the hallway dead ahead through the next open doorway, they both took a detour and opened the door to their immediate right. Upon entering the new room, there was a Clicker to their far left and they could hear one close on their right but it sounded like it was moving away.

        "I hate this shit," Nathan mouthed to himself, not actually saying a word. He continued to follow behind Joel as he moved forward to the far side of the room, both of them heading straight for a moment. Nathan glanced to his right and spotted a Clicker entering where they had been at to begin with. The Clicker that was in the room with them was slowly approaching where they just had been. Nathan, then, began to follow Joel as they both went along the right side of a display of carriages and horses. The clicks of the Clicker in the room were distant now and at the end of the display, they both turned left and headed towards the new open doorway slowly. Nathan froze to a stop seconds after Joel, a Clicker coming into sight in the hallway right in front of them.

        When the Clicker finally backtracked down the hallway, Joel and Nathan quickly, but still quickly, moved into the hallway and upon spotting double doors at the end of the hall, which was just across from them, they approached it. Joel slowly pushed the door open and they both crouch walked through it quickly to avoid accidental confrontation with the hallway Clicker. Silently, they both headed down the hall of the new room and came across stairs, stairs in which they started heading up.

        Nathan couldn't take the complete silence anymore, especially now that they were away from the Clickers. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" he whispered to Joel. "We should work together more often, don't you think?" He was partially saying it to get on Joel's nerves after what had occurred between them outside earlier but he was partially serious about it because maybe if they did work together sometimes, he'd be able to get on Joel's good side again, if he was even on his good side at all before the incident.

        "I don't think so," Joel answered rudely in a hushed tone. The truce between them seemingly had ended after they snuck past all the Clickers, thanks to Joel's comment, but things weren't over yet. As Nathan responded with a low sigh while they reached the top of the first set of stairs, they both heard banging in a room near them. They had a few ideas as to what it was but neither spoke their opinion on it as they started up the second set of stairs.

        When they finally reached the next floor, Joel pulled open the door in front of them and they both entered yet another hallway. Turning right, they both spotted the culprit of the banging that surprisingly hadn't alerted the Clickers: an Infected Runner trying to bust through a door up ahead. Quickly, Joel approached him but something occurred: the Infected Runner suddenly turned towards him. Acting quickly, he stood up, breaking his stealth further, and he managed to kill the Infected Runner with several hits to its face with his fists and a bullet to the head. Nathan stood up from where he was, a little ways behind Joel. "And you say I'm a fuck up," he commented, scoffing. Joel glared at him. Down the stairs, the Clickers they had avoided were slowly growing closer, having heard all of the commotion.

        Quickly, they both entered the next room and slammed the door shut behind them, no point being silent now. They looked down the room they were in, spotting Tess being attacked by a Runner. "Tess!" Joel exclaimed as he and Nathan ran forward to help her out. Before they got to her, she managed to knock the Runner off her with a wooden board and she smashed its head in with it before it could get off the floor.

        Tess panted as she dropped the broken board. "I'm fine," she told the men whom had attempted to come to her rescue. However, she wasn't exactly alright at all. Something had occurred but she wasn't about to inform anyone of it.

        "Guys, get in here!" Ellie yelled from the room next to them. Following her words, Daniella let out a scream. The scream didn't sound one of agony nor one of fear, it sounding more of a battle cry if anything. Nonetheless, Joel and Nathan both took off into the next room without a second thought, Tess following behind them. Upon entering the room of exhibits, the three quickly noticed it was full of Infected Runners and that one happened to be on Daniella. She was struggling to keep it off her, Ellie standing right behind her; it was clear that Daniella had been protecting Ellie from the Infected. Lying on the floor by their feet were a few Infected that Daniella had managed to take out beforehand, a broken pipe beside the corpses.

        Nathan sprung forward first, getting the Runner off of Daniella quickly by punching it. As the other Runners within the room began running at them, Joel and Tess brought out their guns, beginning to fire while making sure not to hit Daniella, Ellie, or Nathan. When the shooting began, Daniella grabbed onto Nathan and pulled him back, all while a few Runners headed their way. In response, Daniella and Nathan pulled out their own guns, beginning to fire at them. Behind them, Ellie stood watching and keeping an eye out for any Runners meaning to flank them.

        Multiple reloads and flying bullets later, all of the Runners were dead and the Clickers could be heard pounding on the door that they (the Clickers) strangely couldn't break down together. Daniella, Joel, Nathan, and Tess let out sighs of relief, thankful that the threats had been eliminated. "That was too damn close," Joel remarked, putting away his gun after reloading it once more. He looked towards where Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan stood, approaching them with his eyes on Daniella. "Are-?" he began asking.

        "I'm fine," Daniella answered, already knowing the question. "I didn't get hurt. Thanks to Nathan." She turned her head to the left, looking at Nathan as she smiled.

        Nathan blushed faintly, avoiding eye contact with her; he often did tend to save her life but this time, he was reminded so much of something that happened two weeks before. "It was nothing," he told her before he walked off, feeling his face beginning to burn. Why did he have to remember  _that_  at a time like this? Daniella smirked a little as she watched him, soon following behind him along with Ellie.

        Joel let out a sigh before he moved down the room slowly, checking for anything useful as he partially heard Ellie thanking Daniella for the protection. Upon reaching the end of the room, he spotted Nathan and the girls standing by an open window. He hadn't even noticed Tess moving elsewhere earlier so he was a bit surprised to see her already standing there and waiting for him. Joel opened his mouth to talk but stopped as he watched Daniella and Nathan hop through the open window, onto the fire escape. Letting out another sigh, he looked towards Tess. "Tess, how're you holdin' up?"

        "Just a bit winded," she answered. "Daniella and Nathan have the right idea. This'll get us to the roof." She opened through the open window and onto the fire escape, going up the steps like Daniella, and Nathan, had. She had ended that conversation quickly. She just wanted to keep moving. There just wasn't much time anymore.

        "How 'bout you, kid?" Joel asked Ellie. "You okay?"

        Ellie hunched over, appearing to be catching her breath despite her having not done any running. "Define okay." She was trying to get her breathing in order after what happened. She hadn't been expecting it and wish she had been. She hadn't been quite fond of having to be protected when she could protect herself if she had a weapon but mostly, she just hadn't been fond of it being Daniella doing the protecting. Daniella could've died and Ellie liked her very much; they were friends. She did like the fact that they all got away alive.

        "Are you still breathing?" Joel asked.

        "Do small, panicked breaths count?" Ellie asked as she became unhunched, rubbing her face with her sleeve-covered arm. Her breathing was a little bit better but not by much.

        "Yeah, they count," Joel answered.

        Ellie nodded. "Alright. Then I'm okay." She moved close to one of the open windows and stood there momentarily. When Joel hopped through the same open window as Daniella, Nathan, and Tess, Ellie hopped through the second one around the same time. As Joel climbed up the steps all the way to the roof, Ellie followed right behind him at a good distance. Up on the roof, Tess was standing close to the stairs by the railings while Daniella and Nathan stood back a little ways, having a semi-private moment where they were just holding each other. Joel avoided gazing at them, knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop them because they were both grown but he wish he could. Joel looked at Tess instead as Ellie walked past him, she was heading over to Daniella and Nathan.

        "We gotta find a way across," Tess instructed as she nodded at the railings. They would need a wooden plank to cross from this building to the next. "And there she is. That's our building." She pointed towards the Capital Building that was in the far distance. They could make it there in about a day, maybe two, maybe less. Loads more of walking was to be had.

        Joel didn't respond to Tess, not verbally. He headed closer to where Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan stood, picking up the plank that laid a few feet from their feet. He continued to avoid gazing towards Daniella and Nathan as the two continued their little moment together and Joel carried the prank over to the fire escape, placing the plank onto the railing and onto the building across from him and the others.

        As Joel was fixing the plank up for them all to cross, Daniella spoke to Ellie who had awkwardly been standing near them. "Hey, Ellie. Sorry for neglecting you for a bit. We just needed a moment." She pulled away from Nathan and she turned towards Ellie fully, smiling down at her. "You okay? That was some intense shit back there, huh?"

        "Yeah," Ellie answered. "You could've died, you know. Because of me." It still wasn't sitting well with her. She lost her fair share of people, people she cared about. She already cared about Daniella because they had become quick friends. And she was beginning to care about the rest of the group, too. She didn't want to be the cause of their deaths. She almost had been when Daniella was protecting her but luckily, Joel and Nathan had gotten to them when they did.

        Daniella shook her head, disagreeing. "I may had been protecting you but it wouldn't had been your fault if I had been bitten or killed. Only thing to be blamed is the Infected. It's not like you pulled a gun out and shot me, Ellie. Only then it would had been considered your fault if I died." She placed her hand on Ellie's shoulder. "Speaking of guns, we should give you one soon. That way we can take turns protecting each other like any friends would do in this fucked up world."

        Ellie smiled a little. "Sounds nice but there isn't a point to do that." She started frowning as she stared up at Daniella. "We're almost at the drop off and we'll be going separate ways then." She was going to miss Daniella. And once they were separated, she wouldn't have to worry about being the cause of anyone's death. At least, no one from this group. "I... can't say that I won't miss you because I will," she stated honestly.

        Daniella smiled sadly. "Same here, Ellie. I'll miss ya, too. If any of them Fireflies causes trouble for you, kick 'em between the legs." Ellie let out a small laugh. Daniella smiled more, happily this time but her smile was still filled with some sadness. "They can't do shit to ya because you're special. And most of them are stubborn dickheads, I'm certain of it."

        "Okay," Ellie responded. "I will." She nodded towards Nathan slightly before she headed over to where Joel and Tess were, the plank all set up now.

        "I am gonna miss the kid, too," Nathan stated. "She definitely grew on me." He wrapped his arms around Daniella again.

        "I know," Daniella told him. "She's something else." She looked towards Nathan, smirking. "So, mind telling me what it was that had you so bashful earlier?" Nathan avoided eye contact, feeling his face heat up again. "It couldn't have been about what happened a few weeks ago, could it?" she continued, still smirking. She knew exactly what he had been thinking about.

        Nathan pouted as he looked at her, still flushed. "Why ask if you already know?" Daniella didn't answer, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. "I couldn't help it that it popped into my head after that shit back there. It just reminded me of what occurred."

        "Yet other times you saved me did not?" Daniella questioned.

        Nathan gave her a look. "This time was too similar to it." He started smirking. "But since we're on the topic..."

        Daniella started blushing this time. "Oh, no," she giggled out, hiding her face behind her hands.

        Nathan moved his arms from around her and removed her hands from her face. He continued to smirk. "As I was saying, since we're on the topic, we really should do that again sometime. If we ever get alone again." He whispered in her ear. "Because I quite enjoyed having you moaning underneath me for hours." He chuckled when she started blushing more. "And at the time, I hadn't thought that there could a possibility of a second time."

        Daniella started laughing. "A second time? It would be more like a fifth time."

        Nathan chuckled more. "Yeah, we did have a lot of energy, didn't we? It was nice. Great, actually." He glanced over towards Ellie, Joel, and Tess, seeing that they hadn't moved anywhere yet. "And I think that should be the end of this conversation because everyone's waiting," he sighed.

        Daniella nodded, smiling a little with blush in her cheeks still that was slowly fading. "Yeah. But we'll continue it in the future so no worries." She winked at him and started walking away first, a smile on her face still. Nathan smirked to himself before he followed behind her.

        Joel glanced at Daniella and Nathan as they both finally reached them before he looked at the plank and, then, at Ellie. "Alright. Now, watch your step as you're goin' up 'cause it's gonna be a little-" he started, trying to warn Ellie. He was only trying to be nice and helpful but Ellie scoffed, interrupting him as she brushed off his advice and climbed onto the plank, crossing it easily. As she dropped off the plank and onto the other roof, she turned to look at everyone and moved her arms up slightly before turning away. Nathan chuckled and shook his head at Ellie's behavior while Daniella started smiling more; they both would definitely miss her attitude. Joel climbed onto the plank next and he was soon on the other rooftop with Ellie, standing beside her as she stared at the Capital building. He stared at it with her, gesturing towards it. "Well, is that everything you hoped for?" he asked her.

        "Jury's still out," Ellie started. "But, man... You can't deny that view." Joel crossed his arms as he stared at Ellie. Ellie looked towards Tess as Tess walked by them, having had just crossed the plank as well.

        "C'mon," Tess instructed. "This way." Ellie approached a ladder that lead down the rooftop and she started heading down it. Behind Joel, Daniella and Nathan both finally crossed onto the rooftop. Nathan hurried over to where Tess stood, following Ellie down the ladder just in case things went sideways down there.

        Daniella made a move to follow Nathan but paused as she looked at her father, noticing that he was glancing down at his watch. She smiled sadly. "She's reminding you of her, isn't she? In some sort of way, right?" she asked, causing Joel to look up from his watch towards her. "She reminds me of her, too, a little bit."

        "Hey!" Tess exclaimed, causing Daniella and Joel to look towards her. "Pick it up!" She was in a hurry. They really didn't have much time anymore. She didn't have much time. Daniella and Joel approached her as she prepared to head down the ladder. She turned her head towards them as they moved to be to her left. "Look, we're almost done. Stay focused."

        "Yes, ma'am," Joel answered as Daniella replied, "Aye aye, Captain Tess," while saluting her. With that, Tess climbed down the ladder first, followed by Daniella and then Joel...


	23. Flashing Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FLASHBACK CHAPTER!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Flashback Chapter. Possibility of Some Scenes Being Shorter Than Others. No Recap Paragraphs Needed This Chapter. Implied Sexual Content. Plenty of References to Rape but Rape Isn't Seen (And Will Never Be Seen Within This Story).
> 
> Happy Esther Day! Tell your fam and friends you love them! It's a day about love!

_Within the Quarantine Zone, three months prior to the current events, Daniella was quietly following behind Tess. It wasn't too often when she'd accompany Tess for a drop off without Joel with them but whenever she was able to do something without him by her side, Daniella was more than happy about it because she was highly capable of doing things without his supervision. Daniella and Tess were heading to Robert's territory, Robert being the person they were making the drop off with. Simply, Tess was going to trade some spare ammo for some much needed gear for when she had to go and make trades with Bill, a friend outside the zone. It was a fair enough trade._

_As the two entered the large building in which Robert and his men were temporarily located, Daniella started to feel unease as she and Tess walked by Robert's many goons. Too often than not, she would notice that some of the goons were staring at her with very disturbing looks on their faces. She wanted, more than anything, to get the trading session over with so that the two of them could get the hell outta there. She didn't trust these men and for good reason. She glanced back to watch where she was walking and she saw Tess walk around a corner, a little ways ahead of her. Daniella began speed-walking towards the corner, feeling more stares heading her way and she felt that some of the men were beginning to make their way towards her, now that she was alone with them._

_Daniella turned the corner, attempting to catch up with Tess but she ran into someone head on and she felt herself falling backwards. She didn't land anywhere close to the floor, however. The person she had ran into had grabbed ahold of her waist and kept her from falling over. She soon had found herself staring at a very handsome young man: Nathan. She hadn't seen him before in any of the previous drop offs that had included Joel so she could only assume that he was new to the Robert crew. Which, by her assumption, meant that he was just about as untrustworthy as all the other men in that building._

_Neither of them said a word to each other, just staring one another in the eyes. Daniella, though fearful, stared at him with some confidence and Nathan, though amused by Daniella's confidence through fear, stared back at her curiously. He had only been there for a few weeks and he had never seen her walk in there with Tess, not realizing at the time that Daniella didn't always go there with Tess (and Joel) . Their eye contact was finally broken by Daniella as she pulled herself from Nathan's grip, walking past him without saying a word of thanks and she caught up with Tess who was waiting at the end of the hallway. Nathan watched her walk off and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd be seeing her again soon..._

* * *

_Two months prior to the current events, Daniella was walking around the town within the Quarantine Zone. She hadn't been doing much since a month beforehand when she had that encounter with Nathan. She had been surprised that he hadn't tried anything further than wrapping his arms around her but she feared that things would progress further if she were to encounter him again. So, she avoided going on anymore drop offs that involved Robert and his crew. She didn't want to deal with the possibility of being kidnapped, raped, murdered, etcetera._

_Military patrol was out and about, walking along the rooftops of the buildings and down the streets. Daniella frowned to herself as she glanced towards the soldiers while she walked down the sidewalk. She hated soldiers with a passion since her older sister was murdered by one. Sure, the guy had orders but he could had disobeyed and he didn't. He had deserved to die a much more painful death than the death he had received via a gunshot wound to the head that resulted in instant death. Although she hated guns more than melee weapons, she wouldn't hesitate to put down a soldier with a bullet if one were to talk to her in a rude mannerism._

_As she headed down the sidewalk with no destination in mind (she had just wanted to walk around instead of sitting around in the apartment room), she didn't notice that someone was watching her from a distance and that someone was Nathan. Although the two had briefly met once, Nathan couldn't get her out of his mind. She didn't seem to be like the other women he met since he joined Robert, those other women having been whores who'd spread their legs for just about anyone with a dick. This woman, however, appeared to be much different, much like Tess actually because she was level-headed as well. He himself wasn't much like Robert and the crew but he had wanted to be a part of something and now, he was and he could only imagine what the woman thought of him, knowing fully well what the crew was capable of._

_When Daniella began to get out of his line of sight, Nathan started heading after her quickly. He needed to talk to her. He needed to show her that he was different than the people he worked with. Mostly different, anyways, because he could be just about as rude as they could be. And reckless as well. He wasn't sure why he wanted to prove himself to her but he didn't dislike the feeling, despite that it was a feeling he never felt before._

_It didn't take Nathan long to catch up to Daniella and he grabbed onto her right arm, frightening her accidentally and causing her to swing her left fist at him. He easily caught her fist with his free right hand and he smirked when Daniella stared at him with wide eyes as she immediately recognized him. "You!" she exclaimed, speaking to him for the first time. She hadn't been expecting to see him out and about without the crew along with him. She was fearful, fearing the worst possible scenario. She was capable of handling herself just fine since it was just one person but she didn't know how strong he was and he could overpower her easily._

_"Yep. Me." Nathan released his hold on Daniella and he continued to smirk as he noticed that Daniella kept her fist raised. "Sorry for scaring ya. I'm Nathan. And you are?"_

_Daniella continued to eye him suspiciously, not trusting him for a second. "Why should I tell you my name?" she questioned. For all she knew, he'd end up leading her into a trap and she'd be screwed in more ways than one. She didn't see why he was pretending to be kind when clearly, in her mind, he just wanted to bed her. She was tempted to run away from him but something within her was preventing her from doing so._

_Nathan chuckled, amused by the attitude she had. "Because I told you mine, didn't I? I think it's fair enough if you give me your name in return, don't you think?" He crossed his arms as he stared at her, his smirk still on his face._

_Daniella, progressing what he said, slowly lowered her fist. He was acting civil, at least, and a bit smug like he had accomplished something by getting her to speak to him. But he was being civil, nonetheless, so she might as well try to be civil with him, even though she didn't trust him one bit. "...Daniella," she told him hesitantly._

_"Daniella," he echoed, nodding his head slightly. His smirk had vanished, a serious look on his face now. "What a lovely name you've got." He wasn't exactly trying to flirt with her but he did mean what he said, flirting or not._

_Daniella rolled her eyes at him, the opposite of flattered. "You say that to all the girls you stalk?" She wasn't impressed with his words. He had to be a player. Had to be. The sooner the conversation was over, the better. She wanted to go back to walking semi-peacefully again. She wanted to be away from him while part of her wanted to stay and see what would happen._

_Nathan's smirk returned. "Only the beautiful ones, darling," he flirted. He realized his mistake when Daniella scoffed and began walking away from him. He followed close behind her, immediately trying to explain himself. "I mean, I don't stalk girls, even if they are beautiful. I was just trying to give you a compliment but it came out wrong. I swear. I just wanted to talk to you and get to know you." He felt like he ruined the one chance he had on getting to know more about the woman. "I'm sorry."_

_Daniella paused her walking but she didn't face him just yet. His words had surprised her. She hadn't expected him to explain himself or to apologize. She had assumed that he'd either stop her with force or let him go and come back after her later with friends. She had been wrong on both accounts and she kind of felt bad for assuming that all of Robert's men were bad. She turned her head to look back towards him and her eyes widened when she saw the genuine look he had on his face as he frowned at her. Her gaze became soft and she nodded slightly. "...I'll be seeing you here, at this exact location, from now on at this time every other day," she informed him before she looked away from him, walking away silently and he didn't follow after her, though she did miss the surprise that appeared on his face when she walked away from him. Ugh, what had she gotten herself into...?_

* * *

_One month prior to the current events, Daniella and Nathan's relations had gotten better than they had been when they first met and first spoke. Because of Daniella giving Nathan another chance, she found herself enjoying his company each time they met up on the streets. She had learnt quite a lot about him just from his behavior; he had his moments of being an idiot and being rude as hell but he also had his many moments of being amusing, curious, and kind. She regretted thinking little of him originally but that was in the past and the two of them were friends._

_Daniella was alone, walking around inside the zone. She was making a drop off by herself for once, Tess having convinced Joel to allow her to do so. However, she highly disliked the fact that the drop off was to Robert and that she was going to have to walk through his group of men alone this time around. How Joel had agreed to allow Daniella to go into Robert's grounds alone was beyond her but she was certain that Tess hadn't told him the truth of who Daniella was going to be trading with. Daniella kind of regretted asking Tess to help her with proving herself capable to Joel because the drop off was originally going to be the two of them going to Robert's but with a little lie, Daniella was heading there alone and she wished she had asked at a different time so she could had gotten a better client than Robert._

_Robert was located elsewhere than the last time but he always made sure that Tess knew of his new location and Tess had, thankfully, informed Daniella of his new temporary hideout. Daniella felt that Robert would eventually betray them or something but trading is trading and whatnot. Gotta do whatcha gotta do. Didn't mean Daniella had to be comfortable with working with the man and his men._

_She eyed the building that she approached from the backyard, it not being as large as the last one. Recalling that Robert would be in an office on the third floor of the federal-looking building, Daniella took a deep breath and after huffing it all back out, she entered the building cautiously, completely on her guard. She had a feeling that something would definitely occur this time and she wasn't looking forward to it._

_As she walked down the large hallways of the first two floors, she did not see anyone. Not a soul. She was beginning to think she went to the wrong building but she decided to continue onto the third floor just to be completely sure and she surely hated that she had to walk down each hallway to get to the next set of stairs. She began to wish that she had just left because as soon as she stepped foot onto the third floor, she found a total of thirty men standing around in the large crowded hallway by all the abandoned office desks; the inside layout was rather confusing to her but she wasn't going to question whether the people who made the building were drunk or not when they made it. There was a large section at the end of the hallway, if it was even considered a hallway by this point, and she spotted two doors, one leading to the next set of stairs and one leading into the room that Robert was surely within._

_She didn't even take a step forward before quite a few of them men began walking towards her, smirks on their faces. Thankfully for her, the first person to reach her was Nathan and she hadn't even noticed that he was there in the first place, her nerves having distracted her. "Sorry boys," Nathan told the advancing men as he turned towards them. He wrapped an arm around Daniella as she started blushing a little. "This beautiful maiden is taken by yours truly." Daniella glanced at Nathan and he looked at her, winking. She quickly looked away, blushing more._

_The men stopped approaching and they began sharing their pride for Nathan, making vulgar comments as Nathan began to lead Daniella down the room. Robert had made a rule, no messing around with a comrades whore, and they all respected that rule but if someone not taken were to wander into their quarters, the men just wouldn't be able to help themselves to a little five-or-more on one action. Daniella did her best to ignore the vulgar comments as they were made and she was tempted not to roll her eyes. All that these men cared about from women was what laid between their legs._

_Once they reached the door, Nathan knocked on it before entering with Daniella. Sitting in a chair at a desk was Robert and he smirked when he saw that it was just Daniella there for the trade and not Tess as well. "What a pleasant surprise. Daniella, right?" He stood up from his chair and he walked around his desk as Daniella approached him, Nathan closing the door and staying by it. "I was expecting Tess to be with you but I'm enjoying this much more."_

_Daniella made it clear to him that she was disgusted by his words from the expression on her face. She wasn't unaware of his lust for her or for most women for that matter. "Tess was busy," she lied smoothly somehow. "She asked me to do this alone and I agreed." She pulled the bag that she was carrying off of her left shoulder and she held it out to him. "Just like last time. Spare ammo." She didn't add that she believed he didn't even need it because she was sure he and his men had more ammo than anyone in the zone. "Plus the gear you allowed Tess to borrow for a certain trip." The gear had been a few hunting knives, Tess needing to hunt and trade Bill some food (he was getting a little low on food and not many large animals were in his area that time around) for meds._

_Robert took the bag from Daniella, not without rubbing his hand against hers as he did so. "Thank you. Perhaps, for your troubles, I can show you a good time." He seemed to believe that he had a chance to get in her pants now that Tess wasn't around to protect her from him. But he was entirely incorrect._

_Nathan stepped forward, placing his arm around Daniella again. Robert clearly hadn't seen his arm around Daniella when they had both entered the room. "She's taken, boss." He planted a kiss on Daniella's cheek and neck for emphasis on his words. Daniella blushed and kept herself from pushing him away; she only slightly minded what he was doing but mostly didn't care that he was because he was helping her out of bad situations._

_Robert, though he disliked that he didn't get to Daniella first (even though Daniella was actually not taken), nodded with approval. "You've picked a fine specimen, Nathan. I'd keep her around for a long while." He turned away from them both and headed back around the desk. "If that was all, you may go."_

_This drop off being different than the last, Daniella exited with Nathan without anything in return. The men eyed the two of them as they walked together, most of them whistling while others were praising Nathan for his 'catch'. Once the two of them were off the third floor and heading down towards the second floor, Nathan began apologizing to Daniella for his behavior in there. "Sorry for the advances I made. I didn't want any of them touching you."_

_Daniella nodded as they walked side by side, feeling Nathan remove his arm from around her. She was kind of disappointed that he let go of her but she said nothing of it. "Oh?" She looked at him and smirked. "Didn't know you were the possessive type."_

_Nathan began to blush a little and he lightly pushed her as they headed towards the first floor. "You act as if I'm attracted to you." Which wasn't wrong but he didn't want her to know that. "I can't help if I want to keep my friend safe for rapists that I call co-workers." He had witnessed quite a few of the acts and he could do nothing about it. If he had tried, he would had been punished severely or had been killed. It was how Robert ran things in the crew._

_Daniella felt her heart ache slightly at the first words he said, disappointed that he didn't find her attractive. She hated to admit it but she kind of liked him more than just a friend. "I know that, you idiot," she said, acting as if she hadn't been bothered by what he had said previously. "I appreciate the help. I was dreading my decision to do this alone on my way here."_

_"You were lucky I was around," Nathan stated. "I was actually about to head out when you arrived." Any sooner and things definitely would had ended badly for Daniella. "I'm glad you came when you did." Daniella nodded and the two of them grew quiet. Neither of them spoke until they had stepped outside of the building at last, it being Nathan who spoke up. "I guess we should go our separate ways. Are we still meeting up tomorrow at the usual spot?"_

_Daniella nodded as she turned to face him for a moment. "Yeah. Be careful with, uh, whatever it is you're going to be doing." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "See you tomorrow." With that, she turned around and walked back the way she came when she arrived there, cutting through the backyard of the neighboring house. The two of them did not know that things would eventually change between the two of them..._

* * *

_Two weeks prior to the current events, Daniella and Nathan were running through an abandoned mall within the zone, a large number of Infected Runners chasing after them. How they had gotten into that mess was simple. The two of them had entered an off-limits area just to explore, it being Nathan's idea, and what do you know, it was infested with Infected within the area that they had entered. What luck._

_The two of them ran throughout the mall, trying to lose the Infected that were following them. Without hesitation as they ran across an upper floor of the mall, the two of them bolted towards the open doors of a shop and entered it, closing the doors behind them quickly. Even though the doors would not open inwards, they didn't have much time before the many Infected burst through. In a rush, they headed towards the second entrance of the Halloween shop, heading out of the open door quickly and, again, they shut the door behind them except more quickly so that perhaps the Infected would remain in the shop. They didn't stop their running, though, and hopefully, they were far enough that the Infected would not hear them._

_Daniella and Nathan didn't run for long as they turned the nearby corner. They slowed to a stop immediately afterwards and let out quiet, breathy laughs as they looked back towards where they had came. They had narrowly escaped death. And though it was risky for them to remain where they were, they were doing so anyways._

_"That was really damn close," Nathan commented after a moment, catching his breath after he had finished his little quiet, breathy laugh. He didn't seem to care all that much that they could had died but he did care, he just didn't know what to say about his mistake. He should had known that there would be Infected in closed off locations but he had wanted to go somewhere with Daniella without anyone else around._

_"Yes, it was," Daniella agreed after she, too, had caught her breath. She didn't mention his mistake at all. She wasn't going to fault him for it because to make mistakes was to be human. "But we made it and that's all that really matters." She looked towards him and frowned, spotting a cut on his cheek. "How did that happen?" she asked, gesturing towards his face._

_"Hmm?" Nathan placed his hand on his cheek, touching the cut with his fingertips. He moved his hand away and he looked at his fingers, spotting a tiny bit of blood on them. "I suppose that happened when an Infected attacked me as it went through some glass." He glanced at Daniella and, noting her worried look, he smiled. "It's not a scratch from a Runner. It's from the glass. I'll be fine. I'm just glad neither of us had gotten hurt. Much." It was his turn to look worried. "You didn't get hurt, right?"_

_Daniella smiled a little as her worry quickly vanished. She shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired from all of the running but I'm fine." She looked at their surroundings. "Hmm." She quickly spotted a large yellow tent near them that had a FEDRA logo on it. "You said this place was off-limits, right?" she asked. She nodded towards the tent and Nathan turned towards it. "Looks like someone was living here. Most likely one of the many soldiers that don't do shit except start shit." She walked forward, Nathan following close behind her. "I can't believe we didn't spot this when we stopped running."_

_Nathan shrugged. "Well, we did just barely escaped death. We were more concerned about breathing evenly than looking at where we were." He looked towards a bench towards their right and noticed a horse saddle laying against it. "Yeah, definitely a soldier. They are the only ones in the zone who own horses."_

_Daniella looked towards where Nathan was looking at and nodded. "Mmm. You're right." She looked back towards the tent that laid on their left and she approached it without caution. They would had been confronted if a soldier was there and they would had been attacked, again, if an Infected was hiding in it. She entered it and looked around. "Roomy."_

_Nathan entered behind her and he looked into the box to the left of his feet. There were books and spilt alcohol inside of it. He shook his head. "Someone doesn't know how to save much needed alcohol." He looked around the tent, as did Daniella. There were a few newspapers on the desk ahead of them, a photo in between those newspapers, and there was the makeshift bed to their right. Nathan maneuvered by Daniella and he picked up the picture, flipping it over and rolling his eyes at the photo of a man. "I don't see the point in keeping old photos. What the world once had is long gone." He looked towards Daniella to see her sitting down on the bed, a frown on her face. "What is it?" he asked, sitting down beside her._

_She looked at him and told him exactly what was bothering her. "Keeping old photos isn't pointless. It's for memory sake. I'd kill to have a photo of my sister. I miss her very much." She looked down at her hands, becoming sad at the memory of the night things went to shit completely._

_Nathan let out a sigh and placed his hand on her left cheek, turning her head towards him. "I'm sorry. I didn't think of it like that. I hope I didn't upset you too much." He hated it when he made her upset over something he said. He wanted to always make her happy._

_"It's fine," she told him, half-smiling. Nathan removed his hand from her cheek and he started to look away from her but she stopped him, placing her hand on his cut cheek. "Does it sting at all?" Nathan shook his head, staring into her eyes. "We should probably cover it up to avoid it getting infected." She stood up and looked around the tent, eventually finding some usable bandages and tape. Sitting back on the bed, she placed the bandage over his cut and it covered it perfectly, and she placed the tape over it to keep it in place. "There."_

_As Daniella began to remove her hand from Nathan's cheek, he grabbed ahold of her wrist gently. She stared at him questionably but he didn't say a word, he just stared back at her. It wasn't long before they both were becoming lost in each other's eyes and they were both slowly beginning to lean towards one another. Closing their eyes, their lips met for the first time in a passionate kiss. Daniella slowly wrapped her raised arm around Nathan's neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, the two of them continuing their long kiss. When they finally pulled away, they once again stared at each other and Nathan slowly made Daniella lay on the makeshift bed, laying himself on top of her..._

_Nathan let out a content sigh as he rubbed Daniella's bare back, laying behind her as they laid on the bed. She hummed in acknowledgement, smiling to herself as she closed her eyes, relaxing to the gentle touch Nathan was giving her. What had ensued after their first kiss would not be forgotten by either of them, the two of them having had made love quietly, yet passionately. Nathan kissed the back of her left shoulder, sighing again as he wondered if they would become more than just friends with benefits..._


	24. She's Infected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Out of Character Moments (Possibly for OCs as Well). Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Mainly Action Filled (Stealth Mission).
> 
> I have returned with another update. I apologize if Daniella or Nathan seem a little out of character. My mind is very much focused on my Supernatural OCs right now so sorry if Daniella or Nathan speak very formally and/or rudely (more so than usual). If you like Supernatural, please do check out that fanfiction. With less than ten chapters-ish, it's almost 100,000 words long. It's my favorite book series to work on as of the moment. So, I again apologize but for something different, this time being if I update months from now. Like I said, that other fanfic is my main focus as of recent times.

_"C'mon," Tess instructed. "This way." Ellie approached a ladder that lead down the rooftop and she started heading down it. Behind Joel, Daniella and Nathan both finally crossed onto the rooftop. Nathan hurried over to where Tess stood, following Ellie down the ladder just in case things went sideways down there._

_Daniella made a move to follow Nathan but paused as she looked at her father, noticing that he was glancing down at his watch. She smiled sadly. "She's reminding you of her, isn't she? In some sort of way, right?" she asked, causing Joel to look up from his watch towards her. "She reminds me of her, too, a little bit."_

_"Hey!" Tess exclaimed, causing Daniella and Joel to look towards her. "Pick it up!" She was in a hurry. They really didn't have much time anymore. She didn't have much time. Daniella and Joel approached her as she prepared to head down the ladder. She turned her head towards them as they moved to be to her left. "Look, we're almost done. Stay focused."_

_"Yes, ma'am," Joel answered as Daniella replied, "Aye aye, Captain Tess," while saluting her. With that, Tess climbed down the ladder first, followed by Daniella and then Joel..._

Daniella, Ellie, Joel, Nathan, and Tess dropped down onto a lower roof. The five of them were much, much closer to the capital building than they had been earlier, getting to their current location about a little over a hour after the museum incident. Tess lead the way with Ellie trailing behind her, Daniella and Nathan followed closely behind them, and Joel took the rear of their group. The five of them headed down the stairs that were located just ahead of them and they appeared to reach a dead end. Tess moved over to the scaffold that was located ahead, slightly towards the right and she looked up at it, wondering if they could find something to boost themselves up or if they had to boost each other up to get to the ledge. A little ways behind her, Daniella and Nathan paused their walking, looking around the area as Ellie moved to stand by them. Behind them, Joel stopped at the end of the stairs, shaking his head ever-so-slightly as he watched the three of them.

        Daniella made a face of disgust as she turned, spotting a corpse against the wall towards her left, the corpse being located by the stairs. "Oh, I am never going to get use to the sight of dead people. Never," she groaned as she looked away. "God..." She shook her head as she rubbed her noise. "Ugh, I feel like I can smell it now." She began moving over to Tess, wanting to be far away from the corpse.

        Nathan followed behind her, Ellie following behind him. "How can you not get use to the smell or the sight? You've witnessed this shit for years." He rolled his eyes slightly at his girlfriend before wrapping an arm around her. "You women are so confusing, you know that?" Daniella rolled her eyes at this, saying nothing in response. Ellie let out a very gentle snicker, shaking her head at the two people she had gotten closest to since this little journey began.

        Joel moved from his location, making a sharp right turn as he made his way to the corpse that Daniella had located. He picked up the ammo that laid by the corpse along with a note that was near the corpse's hand. He took a look at it before he tossed it aside. All the note had stated was about taking care of a girl, most likely Ellie. He looked at the attire of the corpse and he let out a sigh as he noticed the Firefly logo on the deceased man's arm. "Firefly," he revealed to everyone in a loud enough tone.

        Ellie frowned as she heard this information, her eyes gazing upon Joel for a moment before she looked down at her hands. "What if we get there and they're all dead?" she questioned, bringing up her concern. All of this would had been for nothing if they get there only to find that no one was living. This firefly was too close to their destination that it just was giving her signs of something bad to be discovered.

        "I'm sure everything's alright," Daniella commented. She had some doubt about it as well, however. A corpse of a firefly was right here and where they were taking Ellie wasn't too far from the site. She was getting a bit anxious, worried. What if something had happened? What if they were heading towards danger? But maybe, maybe this firefly was killed by another firefly in a fit of rage? Nah, that didn't help her relax one second, her anxiety worsening. She wouldn't dare leave Ellie with fireflies that turned on each other and she wasn't going to leave her there if things were amiss.

        "But how do you know that?" Ellie asked, looking at Daniella.

        "I don't know it," Daniella admitted. "But it's better to hope for something good than think of the bad."

        As the two of them had spoke to one another, Nathan had wandered away from them. He had spotted a dumpster nearby and was currently pushing it towards the scaffold, Tess moving out of the way as he approached since she was the only one standing directly in front of the scaffold. Pressing the dumpster against the scaffold, he turned to smirk proudly at everyone for thinking of this first. Daniella cracked a smile and she kissed him on the cheek before she climbed up the dumpster and then the scaffold, Ellie, Nathan, Joel, and Tess following behind her in that exact order. Dropping down on the other side one after the other, they approached the street ahead and turned left, heading towards the flooded section of the road.

        "Home stretch, Tess," Joel remarked as he looked towards the Massachusetts State House. Tess didn't respond as the five of them continued moving towards the flooded half of the road. Just a little more ways to go and they could part ways... Everything would be normal again.

        "Umm, just so it's out there, I can't swim," Ellie revealed as all five of them stepped into the water. A little late on the reveal but luckily for her, the water wasn't deep towards one side. And even if the water was deep, Daniella would had happily helped her across on her back with the help of Nathan. No man or woman left behind.

        "You can't swim?" Nathan questioned. "Huh. Thought that would be something the soldiers would teach you. Considering they wanted everyone to be just like them when they grew up." He rolled his eyes. "It's shallow on the right, I think. You'll be fine, Ellie. You have us." He was slightly down, knowing that they'd never see Ellie again after this. He was going to miss her. He knew Daniella was going to miss her more. She was a bright kid. He was hoping that she'd last a while longer in this fucked up world because the world needed people like Ellie, innocent and young but also with some badassery. Not that Ellie had ever did anything considered badass but still, Nathan believed that Ellie was suited to survive a long while in this world.

        "I'm glad Marlene hired you guys," Ellie commented as they all waddled through the water, heading closer to the building of their destination. "I know you guys are getting paid for this but I'm trying to say thanks."

        Daniella smiled sadly as she ran up the steps, getting out of the water. She turned to face Ellie. "No problem, Ellie. We do what we can. And for the record, I'm not taking shit from Marlene. All I cared about was your safety. You better stay out of trouble, ya hear? 'Cause if I hear any word of you misbehaving, I'll come back and give you a stern talking to, young lady." Ellie laughed at her and Daniella lightly tensed when she was suddenly hugged by Ellie, soon easing up and hugging back. She was going to miss her a lot.

        "Let's finish this," Joel commented as he walked by the girls, heading further up the stairs and towards the entrance of the building. He was ready to get this over with. He opened the door with Daniella, Ellie, Nathan, and Tess trailing slowly behind him and he frowned at the sight before him, shaking his head. The fireflies were laying on the floor, lying in their own blood. They had to have been killed quite recently, the corpses looking as if they were newly made. As Joel walked in slowly, heading towards the left, Tess ran past him as she stared in disbelief at what lied ahead, the others slowly following behind her as they stared at the scene in front of them.

        "Goddamn it..." Nathan commented lowly, throwing his hands up to his head. He should had expected something like this to happen. "Fucking soldiers. Ruin every goddamn thing." Beside him, Daniella had raised her hand to her mouth and she shook her head, horrified by the sight. Ellie stood beside her, unsure what to say.

        "No. No, no," Tess said in disbelief as she crouched down beside a corpse, frantically beginning to search its pockets. This couldn't be how things ended. She needed to make sure a cure was made. No one needed to suffer with losing a loved one again. This all needed to end the correct way.

        "What happens now?" Ellie wondered, looking towards Daniella.

        Daniella shook her head, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She removed her hand from her mouth. "I have no clue, Ellie. I have absolutely no clue." She wanted to be happy that she wasn't separating from Ellie but she didn't like the sight that they were witnessing. Soldiers still had to be within the area. They just had to be. The bodies only recently became this way.

        Joel closed the door of the building before he approached where Tess was crouching, the others standing nearby. "What are you doing, Tess?" he questioned, confused by her actions.

        "Oh, God," Tess panted out as she continued her frantic search for something, anything. "Maybe they, uh, maybe they had a map or something to tell us where they were going." The way she was acting, it most likely made the others believe that she was desperate to get the good they were promised as a reward. But that wasn't why she was acting in this way. Something had happened and she was just running out of time...

        "How far are we gonna take this?" Joel asked.

        Tess continued frantically searching for something that wasn't there. "As far as it needs to go." She stopped and she looked towards Ellie. "Where was this lab of theirs?" Anything was better than nothing. Ellie had to know something, right?

        "She never said," Ellie told her. "She only mentioned it was someplace out west."

        Nathan scoffed. "Oh, that's helpful," he sarcastically remarked.

        Daniella grabbed onto his arm, pulling him close. "Nathan, not now." She didn't want him getting into any bad moods, especially with the situation they were in. Nathan wrapped his arms around her in response and he laid his head on hers, growing quiet.

        "What are we doing here?" Joel questioned Tess, ignoring everyone else in the room. "This is not us."

        Tess stood up and faced Joel. "What do you know about us?" She gestured to herself. "About me?" It was kind of like a couple was getting into their first argument with each other.

        "I know that you are smarter than this," Joel stated, gesturing as he spoke.

        "Really?" Tess questioned. "Guess what, we're shitty people, Joel. It's been that way for a long time." Her voice had gotten a little higher as the argument got more intense. Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie watched on the sidelines, not knowing what to do or say about what was occurring before them.

        "No, we are survivors," Joel countered as calmly as he could.

        "This is our chance-" Tess began saying, moving closer to Joel as she spoke.

        Joel interrupted her loudly, no longer calm. "It is over, Tess!"

        Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan watched, awkwardly shifting on their feet. "...Well, this is, uh, awkward," Nathan spoke up after a moment. This was a really odd moment for him to witness. It was like witnessing a breakup or something. And most of the time, the arguments were between himself and Joel so it was odd seeing him argue with someone else.

        "Nathan!" Daniella exclaimed. She hit him in the side, his arms still around her. "Stop it." It wasn't nice for them to interrupt the not so great moment.

        "Now, we tried," Joel told Tess, acting as though he hadn't heard Nathan nor Daniella comment. "Let's just go home." They did their part. Well, they tried to, at least. Now, they just needed to take Ellie back and tell Marlene the bad news. Hopefully, they'd still get their merchandise that was promised.

        "I'm not... I'm not going anywhere," Tess told him slowly. Her voice broke slightly as she spoke. "This is my last stop." She stared at him sadly, knowing something he didn't. None of them knew what she knew and that just made things worse... Nathan and Joel both questioned her, both confused as to what was occurring. Daniella shifted lightly beside Nathan, pushing his hands away from her as she studied Tess's expression, confusion on her own face. What was going on? "Our luck had to run out sooner or later," Tess continued as she turned from Joel, moving away from him a bit.

        Joel reached out to grab her arm. "What are you going on about?"

        Tess yerked away from his touch, spinning to face him again. "No! Don't... Don't touch me." She looked down at her feet, hoping that she didn't have to spell it all out for them. This was hard enough on her as it is. But none of them seemed to understand what she was getting at. No one... Except for Ellie.

        "Holy shit," Ellie commented as she realized what Tess was trying to say. "She's infected."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for leaving it at a cliffhanger. This is all that I had felt like writing and the rest will be at the beginning of the next chapter, whenever I update this again. Next chapter will be longer as well, mostly full of action than actual dialogue however. Hope you enjoyed. Sorry if you didn't. I did the best that I could manage.


	25. Reckless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RIP Tess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Out of Character Moments (Possibly for Original Characters Too, Sorry). Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs and Short Paragraphs. Mainly Action Filled (Reckless Mission). Longer Than Previous Chapter.
> 
> I apologize for the very long wait. Been trying to update my Supernatural fanfiction, which I managed to do a few days ago when I published the 40,000 worded chapter (Ikr? Long as shit), and now, I finally had the time to focus on making a new chapter for this. I don't know when I'll update again but I do know that this fanfiction and my Supernatural fanfiction are becoming the two fanfics I care about the most out of all my current fanfics (but I will be updating those fanfics too, just not as...frequently I guess? Like, I'll just update this at least three-four times a month like my Supernatural fanfic, or at least try to, but for the other fanfics, those will be updated probably once every month or so). Anyways, do enjoy the chapter, my loves.

_Joel reached out to grab her arm. "What are you going on about?"_

_Tess yerked away from his touch, spinning to face him again. "No! Don't... Don't touch me." She looked down at her feet, hoping that she didn't have to spell it all out for them. This was hard enough on her as it is. But none of them seemed to understand what she was getting at. No one... Except for Ellie._

_"Holy shit," Ellie commented as she realized what Tess was trying to say. "She's infected."_

"...What?" Daniella questioned, not believing this for a second as disbelief filled her very being. No, there couldn't be any truth to what Ellie just stated. Tess would've told them if she had been bitten, she would've let them know instead of keeping it a secret considering that someone bitten could suddenly turn and attack the person they may or may not had been with during the time. As Daniella stared at Tess, she began to think about when she had met Tess for the first time. She had been sixteen and her father was introducing the two of them to each other, Joel having worked with Tess via smuggling a few times beforehand and the two of them just clicked. Daniella additionally recalled the many times that Tess had helped her out or tried to help her, Tess becoming kind of like a motherly figure to Daniella but also a close friend. Lastly, Daniella recalled the time Tess failed to save her but had made up for it by helping Daniella with her injured leg, which currently was badly scarred up and hidden beneath her clothing. Pulling herself from her thoughts, she focused on what was occurring around her as her disbelief remained. Was Tess really infected?

        "No fucking way..." Nathan remarked as he stared at Tess with wide eyes. He was shocked, like very shocked. He never thought that Tess would die in this way, being bitten and slowly turning. He thought she'd go out in a blaze of glory, not because of some damn Infected bite. Going out like this, her death wouldn't mean anything because many people have turned throughout the years. Although, that didn't mean that none of them would be unaffected by her death.

        Joel looked towards Ellie, staring at her for a moment after hearing her statement of Tess being infected before he looked back towards Tess, staring at her in disbelief. He took a few steps away from her as she said his name. Hearing that she wasn't denying it, he lightly gestured at her. "Let me see it," he said in an almost quiet tone. When Tess shook her head slightly as she tried to tell him that she hadn't meant for this to happen, he spoke louder. "Show it to me," he demanded. He wanted to see the bite. He needed to see the proof of her impending demise. In an angry manner, Tess reached up to the right side of the collar of her shirt and yanked it aside, revealing the bite-mark in between her shoulder and neck, the wound very fresh. "Oh, Christ," Joel breathed out as the truth hit him more harshly. This was reality, the very harsh reality of their fucked up world.

        Although she couldn't see the bite from where she was standing, Daniella knew that this was happening and her disbelief turned into a mixture of denial and sorrow. "Oh my God, Tess," her voice cracked as she spoke, placing her hand over her mouth as tears flooded her eyes but the waterworks never actually occurred. As upset as she was, she held back her tears because she didn't wish for anyone to see her in this overemotional state that she was beginning to enter.

        "Oops, right?" Tess released her hold on her collar after fixing it to what it had been originally. Joel looked away from her and Tess looked towards where Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan stood. She approached them, approached Ellie specifically. "Give me your arm." Without a response, Tess lifted up the right sleeve of Ellie's shirt, revealing the bite-mark on Ellie's wrist and she pointed at it, looking back towards Joel. "This was three weeks." She approached Joel as he continued looking away from her and she dragged Ellie along with her. She gestured towards her own bite-mark. "I was bitten a hour ago and it's already worse." She gestured at Ellie's bite again. "This is fucking real, Joel." Joel looked towards Tess as she released Ellie's arm and moved to stand right in front of him. Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan remained silent as they watched in silence; Daniella silently trying to control her tears, Nathan remaining in shock but slowly coming out of it, and Ellie just was awkwardly listening in after being slightly manhandled, not sure whether to feel guilty, saddened, or both. "You've got to get this girl to Tommy's. He used to run with this crew. He'll know where to go," Tess instructed Joel. He could at least finish this mission for her sake and the sake of the future.

        Joel immediately disagreed. "No, no, no, that was your crusade," he told her as he pointed at her in emphasis. "I am not doin' that," he continued as he pointed towards Ellie. He wanted this over with. He wanted Daniella back behind the safety of the walls, which weren't all that safe regardless because of the bastard soldiers and the spores that appeared at random in various locations but it was still safer than being out where she could become Infected like Tess. He wanted Ellie out of his hands and he wanted Nathan to just fucking leave already. And lastly, he wished that Tess would be alright and that things could be normal again, as normal as they could had been.

        "Yes, you are," Tess argued back. She lifted her hands up, gesturing as she lightly pleaded with Joel. "Look, there's enough here that you have to feel some sort of obligation to me so you get her to Tommy's." She needed Joel to finish this, to make the world better with a cure. Life couldn't continue on like this anymore. Sure, she wasn't going to be around to see the world go back to what it once was but she was content with having been a part of the cause that would lead to better things. Hopefully.

        A tear slid down the right cheek of Daniella as she shook her head angrily. She was just feeling every single horrible emotion in the world right now. "Tess," she spoke angrily, her voice cracking still. She wasn't sobbing angrily yet, though, since only one tear had fallen and no more slid down. "Why didn't you...? Why?" she questioned Tess as Tess looked over at her. Why hadn't she told them sooner? Why did she make this worse on all of them? Why did she allow that to happen to herself?

        Tess approached Daniella and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Dani," Tess apologized as she gave her close friend one last hug, which Daniella did not return (something she'd likely regret later). Tess removed her arms from around Daniella and she looked over at Nathan, who stood right beside Daniella still. "Take care of them. Take care of Daniella and Ellie. Help Joel." She hoped that they all would get Ellie to where she needed to be and end this mess once and for all.

        Nathan, finally out of his shock, frowned as he stared at Tess. "You know that I will, Tess. Didn't even have to ask me. I won't let anything happen to them. You have my word on that." He'd protect Daniella with his life, everyone knew that (including Joel despite that Joel hates him). However, he'll protect Ellie just because he was asked to. He'll protect Ellie for Daniella and for Tess. Even if he actually sort of liked the young girl by this point and would've protected her anyways.

        A noise from outside broke the tension between everyone temporarily. Tess ran over to the window, looking outside to see that a military truck had pulled up. Daniella blinked when she heard the noise and she rubbed her eyes, keeping more tears from flowing down her cheeks. Nathan looked over at her and attempted to place his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged away from him, not wishing to be comforted which caused Nathan to frown further (if possible). Joel uttered a swear upon hearing the sound of a car driving up. Ellie just looked around at everyone, worried. Tess turned towards everyone, pulling out her weapon. "They're here. I can buy you some time but you have to run."

        Daniella was immediately against that, shaking her head furiously. "No! No, no! We're not doing that!" She couldn't just allow this to happen. She'd rather spend what little time they had with Tess rather than see Tess be put down by some soldiers.

        "What?" Ellie questioned Tess in disbelief. "You want us to just leave you here?"

        "Yes," Tess answered. She'd rather go out in a fight with the soldiers than just let herself turn into an Infected. She didn't want to be put down by one of them, she couldn't bear the thought of that. She didn't want to turn into one of those things in front of them and she didn't want to be out of control, she didn't want to accidentally kill or Infect one of them. She wanted to go out in her own terms and this was it.

        "There is no way that-" Joel began to protest.

        Tess immediately interrupted him as she approached him, getting rather close to him. "I will not turn into one of those things," she told him roughly, not wanting any more disagreements from him. This is what she wanted and she wasn't going to let him or anyone else stop her. "Come on. Make this easy for me," she said in a softer tone, tears in her eyes. Joel began to protest again but she pushed him back, pushed him away from her. "No, just go!" she exclaimed. "Just fucking go," she whispered, staring at him sadly.

        Daniella hesitated, not wishing for this to happen to Tess but she chose to accept Tess' wishes, even though she didn't want to. "Okay," she sniffled as her tears remained unshed. "We'll go. We understand, Tess." She approached her father from behind, him having moved forward earlier to be around where Tess was. She placed her hand on his arm. "We need to go, Daddy," she told him. "We need to go," she repeated but in a whisper. She was upset, she was angry, she was feeling absolutely everything but she knew that this is what Tess wanted.

        "Fight well, Tess," Nathan commented, saluting at Tess. "We won't forget you." He pat Ellie's shoulder, making her look at him. He gestured towards the door that is located far behind him, indicating that he was telling her that it was time for them to go. Ellie hesitated, looking back towards Daniella, Joel, and Tess.

        "Ellie," Joel said as he stepped backwards. Daniella removed her hand from him and she turned around, heading towards the door that was now straight ahead of her. She went past Nathan, who followed behind her. Ellie moved backwards a bit but she didn't turn completely towards the door, having moved slightly closer to it earlier unintentionally.

        "I'm sorry," Ellie apologized, feeling that this was her fault. "I didn't-I didn't mean for this."

        "Get a move on," Joel instructed, finally agreeing with what Tess wanted. Ellie turned towards the door and sprinted towards it, meeting Daniella and Nathan there as they opened the door finally. Joel backed away from Tess slowly before he turned around, sprinting after the others. Tess silently watched them go and she turned away from where they went, facing the door they entered through and she took a deep breath before raising her weapon, ready to fire...

        Joel locked the door behind him, the door of the room they just exited. He stared at the doorknob for a moment before turning around to face everyone. Daniella was still keeping back the tears that were threatening to spill, Nathan looked a bit sad but mainly frustrated that this was actually happening, and Ellie looked between frustrated and guilty. "What the fuck? I can't believe we did that," Ellie commented. "We just left her to die." Ellie was making it clear that she didn't like this idea at all. She didn't like Tess sacrificing herself to let them get away, even if she was slowly changing from the bite.

        "Stop," Joel told her. "You stay close to me, all of you. We need to move." Daniella and Nathan didn't say anything but they both did wait for him to take the lead with this. Joel headed to the stairs on their left, the others (Daniella, Ellie, and then Nathan) following behind him. As they climbed the stairs, they could hear the beginnings of gunfire that ended with Tess letting out a scream and immediate silence. "Just keep pushing forward," Joel instructed everyone as he reached the top of the stairs, heading down the path to the left. The four of them ended up in the rotunda, above where they had started and down below, they could see the corpse of Tess (which visibly effected Daniella more than anyone), the corpse of two soldiers, and at least four soldiers entering the building. All of them were crouched but they didn't have anything to hide behind, yet the soldiers never looked up, never seeing them as they moved towards the right of the balcony.

        The four of them crouch walked into the meeting room at the right end of the balcony and were seemingly at a dead end but there was gaping hole in the wall that lead to an adjacent room. Seeing that it was too far to drop outside, Joel jumped to the adjacent room and turned around, gesturing for the others to follow. Daniella, knowing they had no time to waste and that there was a little bit of a height issue with this activity, closed her eyes as she jumped and she was caught safely in Joel's arms. Ellie jumped down next, landing in a crouch position before standing upright and moving out of the way. Nathan jumped down last and he moved to stand near Daniella but she moved away from him, indifferent. Joel approached a corpse that laid leaning against a wall ahead of them and he picked up the Hunting Rifle that laid in its hands, cocking it; he didn't even put it away, he kept it in his hands so it was likely that he was going to use it on some of the soldiers if he had to but it would be easier to sneak around without it being in the way.

        The four of them proceeded into the hall and ducked behind various objects as four soldiers entered said hall. Ellie and Joel were behind a covered table, Nathan was behind a pillar to the left of the covered table that the two were hiding behind, and Daniella crouch sneaked over to the covered table that was ahead, closer to the soldiers than anyone else. Nathan and Joel both were about to tell her to move back towards where they were but she did something they didn't expect: she drew her weapon, un-crouched from behind cover, and open fired at the four soldiers without any hesitation whatsoever; she was pissed off that Tess had to die like that and she was going to take that anger out on these bastards, even if it killed her in the process because of her recklessness.

        Daniella immediately took down one of the soldiers before she ducked as the remaining soldiers fired back at her. In retaliation for them shooting at Daniella, Nathan drew out his gun as Joel removed himself from behind cover and they both began to open fire at the three soldiers that remained. Joel easily took down one with his newly acquired rifle while Nathan wounded another. Daniella unducked to finish off both of the soldiers with her remaining bullets, quickly reloading afterwards. She felt slightly better but she was still angry at the unfairness of this life; Tess didn't deserve to die like that and it was all of those Infected bastards fault but it was also the fault of these damn soldiers.

        "What the hell were you thinking?!" Joel yelled at her as he quickly approached her. She turned towards him, staring at him blankly. "You could've gotten yourself killed, doing a stunt like that!" He reached forward to place his hand on her shoulder but she moved away from him. "Daniella-" He was worried about her, this behavior change for her. She never acted like this before.

        "I was thinking that since they killed Tess, we kill them. Fair game," Daniella told him, anger in her tone while her expression remained blank of emotion. "They don't deserve to live anymore. None of them. They're just as bad as the Infected. Soldiers are the reason why-" She stopped mid-sentence and she turned around, walking around the covered table she hide behind. "We need to finish this before we move onward. Let's go." She was determined to end all of the soldiers before they got out of there. They all deserved to die.

        Ellie, Nathan, and Joel followed behind Daniella, none of them saying a word even though they wished to; none of them liked how Daniella was acting but now really wasn't the time to start arguments. The four of them headed where the soldiers had entered, picking up some ammo along the way, and they descended the staircase, Daniella picking up a 2x4 as she went. She meant business. Each of them dropped down to the lower floor and entered the next room. This time around, Daniella ducked down and stayed down behind a counter case (a counter with a glass case on it) as three armored guards and two regular guards entered down the hallway ahead of them. Joel was crouched to Daniella's right and Nathan, and Ellie, were crouched down to her left.

        "You gonna be smart about this, this time?" Nathan whispered to her. She looked at him. "Because I'm not about to watch my girlfriend get herself killed just because she can't handle her emotions." He was angry about this, too, but he wasn't about to be stupid about all this. He wasn't going to be his normal reckless self because he'd be more reckless than usual, thanks to Tess dying. He hadn't expected that shit and it still was a shock to him. He kinda liked Tess, in a good friend way of course.

        "Fuck you," Daniella remarked, flipping him off before she looked away from him, peeking over the counter to see if any of the soldiers were approaching them. It appeared that three of them were while the other two were handing back a bit. "Open fire when they appear in this area. None of them can be allowed to live." She was giving orders and taking names. She was slightly badass, in a way, for a reckless, overemotional young woman.

        "Fine," Nathan angrily stated as he reloaded his weapon, rolling his eyes. "Bossy bitch," he muttered under his breath. Daniella overheard and she smacked him upside the head rather hard. "Ow," he grunted, reaching up to rub the back of his head and he glared at Daniella. It wasn't wise for them to have an useless spat in the mist of something serious but some couples were stupid like that. "Fuck you too, Daniella," he hissed.

        "Don't speak to my daughter like that," Joel told him in a low, stern tone. Nathan rolled his eyes.

        An armored soldier headed their way through the middle hall, one of the regular guards heading their way through the left room, and a second regular heading their way through the right sideroom. When the three of them eventually ended up in their area and hadn't seen them (because apparently they were blind), the three with weapons un-crouched and opened fire on them, killing the two regular guards quickly while taking a longer time to kill the one with armor. As a result, Daniella was slightly gazed by a bullet while Nathan got shot through the arm and Joel got gazed at his side. None of them could waste time worrying about their injuries as they sprinted down the middle hall one after the other, shooting once at the end of the hallway as the final two armored soldiers came into view. Both of the soldiers hid behind a pillar as the firing continued on the good side.

        Daniella stopped firing, saving her ammo and she snuck around the left side to get to one of the soldiers. Nathan and Joel stopped firing as well, ducking behind cover as they began to make their way around on the right side, going after the second soldier. Ellie chose to follow behind Daniella, despite her current reckless nature. When she got to the soldier, Daniella jumped him and knocked his gun out of his head before pulling off his mask. Taking the 2x4 that she had gotten earlier (and had carried with her this whole time by wedging it in between her back and her backpack), she began to hit the soldier in the face repeatedly with the plank, not giving two shits about how brutal the attack was; dead meant dead no matter what and she wanted this bastard dead. When the guy's brains were nothing but mush on the floor, Daniella dropped the broken plank to the ground as she watched Nathan slit the throat of the other guard that remained. With no words being said about what just happened, the four of them sprinted towards the nearby exit...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't like how I did this, oh well. It's what I wanted to happen and it's gonna stay like it is. Sorry if that sounded rude. DX Love you!


	26. What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tess is gone and Daniella has been acting reckless as a result but our favorite group of survivors have yet escaped the soldiers fully. On another note, will someone please snap Daniella out of it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Mainly Action Filled. There is a PewDiePie Reference in Here, Due to My Following His Gameplay Somewhat. Little to No Dialogue Because Mostly Actions Occur (And That Doesn't Necessarily Mean There Is Fighting, Cause There Is Little Fighting Within This But Mostly Just Moving Around Is Done)
> 
> By this point in time, this fanfiction is only being made for fun and not professionally. Only fanfiction being made professionally is my Supernatural fanfiction, though I will continue to remain entirely descriptive with my Bleach fanfiction.

_An armored soldier headed their way through the middle hall, one of the regular guards heading their way through the left room, and a second regular heading their way through the right sideroom. When the three of them eventually ended up in their area and hadn't seen them (because apparently they were blind), the three with weapons un-crouched and opened fire on them, killing the two regular guards quickly while taking a longer time to kill the one with armor. As a result, Daniella was slightly gazed by a bullet while Nathan got shot through the arm and Joel got gazed at his side. None of them could waste time worrying about their injuries as they sprinted down the middle hall one after the other, shooting once at the end of the hallway as the final two armored soldiers came into view. Both of the soldiers hid behind a pillar as the firing continued on the good side._

_Daniella stopped firing, saving her ammo and she snuck around the left side to get to one of the soldiers. Nathan and Joel stopped firing as well, ducking behind cover as they began to make their way around on the right side, going after the second soldier. Ellie chose to follow behind Daniella, despite her current reckless nature. When she got to the soldier, Daniella jumped him and knocked his gun out of his head before pulling off his mask. Taking the 2x4 that she had gotten earlier (and had carried with her this whole time by wedging it in between her back and her backpack), she began to hit the soldier in the face repeatedly with the plank, not giving two shits about how brutal the attack was; dead meant dead no matter what and she wanted this bastard dead. When the guy's brains were nothing but mush on the floor, Daniella dropped the broken plank to the ground as she watched Nathan slit the throat of the other guard that remained. With no words being said about what just happened, the four of them sprinted towards the nearby exit..._

Daniella, Ellie, Joel, and Nathan sprinted out of the back of the building, stepping into the flooded streets as they hurriedly made their way towards the subway entrance that laid across from them. All of them knew that they weren't out of the woods just yet, knowing that they weren't entirely safe at the moment. Immediately after the four of them had dropped down into the subway, the sound of a vehicle approached the area and a military truck was soon visible at the entrance that they just went through. With still no words being said, the four took off in another sprint, dodging the bullets as they ducked around the corner and the turret was no longer a problem for them. For whatever reason, Ellie continued running and she soon was ahead of everyone. Daniella sprinted behind her, trying to keep up with her as she ran past the turnstiles and down the subway halls, only to skid to a stop to put on her mask because spores were in the area. Behind her, Joel (who had sprinted right behind her) didn't pause but instead, he quickly put on his mask as he ran past her. Nathan, who was last to arrive and put on a mask, had jumped over the turnstiles (just because) and he had even took the time to wrap up his injured arm with some bandages. All grouped together again somewhat, Daniella, Joel, and Nathan stepped onto the subway platform infested with spores.

        "Get down," Ellie (who had already arrived onto the platform before them) whispered as she grabbed onto the arm of the person closest to her, which in this case was Joel, and pulled 'em down to be crouched beside her, behind some large object. Daniella and Nathan reacted quickly after this, both crouching down with them as the voice of a soldier filled the air. Strangely, Daniella seemed to have become a bit levelheaded again, seeing as she wasn't recklessly attacking and was instead hiding like everyone else. Perhaps she had finally calmed down from her very heated fit of losing Tess? Probably not. She must've had something up her sleeve. "There's a soldier over there," Ellie continued in a hushed tone.

        As the four of them listened to the soldier speak into his walkie talkie, Nathan glanced over at Ellie and his eyes widened behind his gas mask. "Uh, Ellie," he whispered. Ellie looked towards her left where Nathan was located, Daniella being located just on the other side of Nathan. "I couldn't help but notice that you aren't fucking wearing a gas mask," he retorted quietly, snapping at her in a hushed tone. How could she not be wearing a gas mask right now? Did she not see the spores surrounding them? Actually, how the fuck was she not bothered by it?

        While Joel seemed to gain some interest in this discovery of Nathan's, Daniella showed no interest whatsoever as she slightly peeked up from their hiding spot, eyeing the soldier with a glare; she had plans to murder him brutally but how, she wasn't sure yet. "How the hell are you breathin' in this stuff?" Joel asked Ellie as he looked at her. Everyone was wearing a mask, except for Ellie and it was a surprise to almost all of them, Daniella excluded for now because of obvious reasons.

        Ellie's response to his question was something that should've been expected. "I wasn't lying to you." She stared at Joel after saying this, a frown on her face. By this point, only Daniella and Nathan believed her story that happened to be very true. Joel, on the other hand, had still been having some trouble believing in it but after witnessing this, it was likely he wouldn't be doubting her for much longer. No one has ever survived breathing in these spores. No one. As far as Joel was aware of, anyways, and once he saw that Ellie wasn't affected by it at all when this was over, he'd be as much of a believer as Daniella was, her being the biggest believer out of all of them. Well, maybe not as much of a believer as her but more of a believer than Nathan was, who barely believed in Ellie being different somehow.

        With that short conversation between the three of them cooling down immediately, another soldier ran onto the subway platform, entering from the same place they had but the reason why he didn't see them was because his flashlight didn't shine towards their location, conveniently. As the two soldiers spoke with each other, talking about how they were going to search the area to be sure they (Daniella, Ellie, Joel, and Nathan) weren't or were there, Daniella took off her backpack and unzipped it quickly, searching through it. Nathan looked towards her and opened his mouth to speak but just before he spoke and just before the two soldiers separated from each other, Daniella pulled out a Molotov and she tossed it right at the soldiers without any hesitation, smirking to herself behind her mask when she caught sight of the two burning alive violently. When they both dropped dead on the ground as the flames died out, Daniella removed herself from her hiding position and she approached the dead corpses, kicking one of them for good measure. "Asshole," she remarked with venom in her tone.

        "That's it," Nathan growled lowly as he removed himself from his hiding position too. As he maneuver around the object he had hid behind and approached Daniella from behind, Ellie and Joel were quickly leaving cover to follow behind him. Both of them tried to prevent Nathan from doing whatever he was planning to do but both were too late as Nathan spun Daniella around and tightly held her arms down to her sides when she tried to hit him. Daniella's violence was getting out of hand, to the point where she was aggressive towards her own boyfriend. "Would you fucking stop for one goddamn minute?!" he yelled at her, keeping her arms pinned to her sides as he spoke angrily to her. "Stop acting like this! I get that you're upset with Tess dying but this isn't you! You're not some vengeful, extremely violent person! You aren't brutal and reckless! Fucking snap out of it!" Daniella stared at him expressionlessly, as if those words didn't do her any harm. Nathan sighed, calming down as he continued with words that would actually affect her. "Doing all of that wasn't going to bring Tess back, Daniella. She's gone. I'm sorry."

        Tears began to form in Daniella's eyes as her composure began to shatter to pieces, her emotions of rage now reverting back to sorrow. It wasn't long before the tears began to escape her. "Why did this have to happen?" she sobbed out, her gaze moving away from Nathan and towards her feet. "Why did it have to be her?" she questioned, her sobs becoming harder. Nathan didn't answer her and he released his hold on her, not knowing what to do. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't feel like he should be the one to do so. He hadn't know Tess for as long as Daniella had so he couldn't possibly understand how hurt she was by Tess' passing. He had lost people he loved before but he wasn't affected by it much because he could barely remember them since he had been a kid at the time and since then, he didn't really bond well with others up until he met Daniella and Tess. Nathan looked over at Joel when he heard him approaching and he stepped aside, allowing Joel to take his place. He watched silently as Joel wrapped his arms around his daughter, comforting her as he (Joel) refused to show his own sadness to everyone.

        The comforting moment didn't last very long because of one reason and one reason only, they didn't have time for this. They were standing in a spore infested area that likely had some Infected lurking about and if that was so, thankfully none of those Infected were close enough to hear Daniella's loud sobbing that was dying down after a few minutes. Although she was calming down, Daniella was nowhere close to coping with Tess' death right now because it was far too soon to just move on like she had been nobody to Daniella. It was different for Joel because his way of coping was basically to pretend like it was nothing because he didn't want to share his emotions with anyone when truly, he was going to miss Tess very much because she had been his friend and his partner. As Joel removed his arms from around Daniella, he looked over at Nathan and waved him over, a look of hesitation on his face. When Nathan approached, Joel spoke to him sternly. "Keep an eye on her." As much as he didn't want to ask this of Nathan, he couldn't lead everyone out of here and watch over his daughter at the same time. He still didn't trust Nathan very much but he trusted him enough to watch over Daniella since Nathan saved her life on multiple accounts in front of him.

        Nathan didn't respond with a sassy or sarcastic remark, instead being polite. "Yes, Sir." Now just wasn't the time for fighting. Well, they 'fought' a lot at the worst times before and at not so good times but this just definitely was not the time to fuss about anything. Daniella was mourning, Joel was silently mourning inside his head, and Ellie was secretly feeling bad about previous events. Nathan, on the other hand, was coping just fine with Tess' death but he did feel a bit saddened about her dying. As he wrapped one arm around Daniella's shoulders, he frowned as he listened to her mumble apologies to him about what she said earlier. "Don't even worry about it, Dani," he told her. "I'm not even mad about it anymore." He really wasn't. He understood that she was acting out because of her feelings for Tess being dead. However, that didn't mean that her actions were the correct way to handle things. "Just try not to be so reckless next time. You could've died or all of us could've died and Tess' sacrifice would've been for nothing." He was letting her off easy, this time. Only because she was hurting over a loss. Any other time, he'll let her have it. Well, he kind of just let her have it when he was yelling at her earlier but she had been acting reckless again and right now, she was just crying her eyes out and he didn't have the heart to yell at her again.

        Joel turned away from them, beginning to make his way towards the train cars. If there was any sort of way to get out of there, they'd have to find it by going forward and not backwards from where they had came. There was nothing for them back there and all they could do was continue this mission. Joel stepped onto the first train car and cut through it, jumping down onto the tracks on the other side and he began jogging towards the next set of train cars. Behind him, Daniella and Nathan,  _and_ Ellie, followed but they went around the back of the first train car instead of through it. Despite not wanting to go fast, Daniella was forced by Nathan to keep up in pace with everyone so that no one was left too far back (and if Daniella was slow, Ellie and Nathan would be slow too because they were sticking by her). Joel entered the next set of train cars and he looked back as he paused, waiting for the others since they were moving slowly but not too slowly.

        When the three reached the train car that Joel was within, Ellie decided to say something to Daniella. "I'm really sorry about Tess. You two seemed close." She didn't get anything out of Daniella except for a short nod. While Nathan released his hold on Daniella to step into the train car first, Ellie continued speaking as she asked a question this time. "Earlier, you mentioned the soldiers being at fault for something but you hadn't finished your sentence. What else exactly did they do?" Ellie was only curious but she should've kept her naive little nose out of it for now because of what was happening. Curiosity killed the cat, they say; this saying was probably unknown to Ellie, though.

        "I will answer that question someday but right now is truly not a great time, Ellie," Daniella sniffled, speaking in a slightly rude sounding tone. "It really isn't." She was already upset. She didn't need to become more upset by bringing up her deceased older sister. She'd tell her in time, of course, but not now. Definitely not now. With that said, Daniella climbed up into the train car after Nathan and Ellie followed behind her with a frown, uttering an apology. Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan followed behind Joel as he exited the left side of the train car halfway through and the four of them found themselves walking one behind the other further on a rather narrow pathway that was mostly underwater. Thankfully for Ellie, the water went up to their torsos so she didn't have to fear needing to swim when she couldn't swim. However, slight panic set within her when Joel, then Nathan, and finally Daniella were forced to enter the water when they couldn't go any further. Joel went on underneath the water, going through the submerged train car to get to the other side and he resurfaced. Before Daniella and Nathan went under together, Daniella spoke to Ellie once more but was instructing her this time. "See if you can squeeze through." Surely enough, Ellie could and she ended up on the other side, with Daniella and Nathan soon arriving on the other side the same way Joel had.

        Joel, Nathan, and Daniella climbed onto the sunken car but Daniella and Nathan both soon jumped off on the other side of it and they swam over to the platform that Ellie walked towards from where she was, the three of them soon grouping up on that platform. Joel, however, remained where he was as he looked around, trying to spot any ways out and he immediately spotted one towards his right but he'd need to have a pallet or something for Ellie to sit on since she couldn't swim. After taking a short time to patch up the wound on his side (even putting some alcohol on it because it probably got infected by whatever was in the water, which would explain why it burned more than it should've), Joel jumped into the water and he swam over to the pallet he had located in the water far across from where he had been. As Joel got that pallet, Nathan was silently tending to the cut on Daniella's cheek (caused by the bullet graze) while Ellie was getting a flashlight off the corpse that was laying by their feet, which surprisingly still functioned correctly (the flashlight, not the corpse). Soon enough, Joel swam over to where the three stood on the platform and he pressed the pallet against it, ready for Ellie to get on.

        "Hop aboard the pallet express," Nathan joked as he gestured for Ellie to jump onto the pallet that Joel brought over before he jumped into the water again, Daniella right behind him. As he and Daniella both merged above water, Ellie had jumped onto the pallet and Joel was beginning to make his way to the other side. Swimming over to the opposite but higher platform together, Daniella and Nathan both climbed up with ease as Ellie climbed off the pallet. Pushing the pallet away, Joel climbed up onto the platform last, the ladder that was placed nearby not being needed because the ledge hadn't been too high up for him or the others to reach. With not much being said after that, the four of them went through the maintenance entrance ahead, and around the corner, of them, eventually ascending the stairs and hopping over the rocks to exit the subway one by one.

        The four of them were now in a very grassy area that was spore free. Joel took several steps forward and away from the entrance that they had just exited, pulling off his gas mask as he started breathing in fresh air. Behind him, Daniella had maneuvered past Nathan (who had did a half-assed job at watching her inside the subway since he was often in front of her and not behind her) and she took a few steps in a different direction than Joel before she stopped and dropped to her knees, a frown on her face as she wiped her cheeks that were covered in mostly water from the subway and somewhat her still dripping tears, sniffling again as she did this. Nathan frowned and moved to stand behind Daniella, reaching over to pat her shoulder for a second before he winced and leaned back up, having forgotten all about his injured arm until now. Joel sat down on a tree stump as he coughed some. Ellie moved to be standing in between everyone, placing her hands on her hips as she looked around, feeling awkward.

        "Hey, look, ummm..." Ellie began with some hesitation. This conversation didn't exactly go well with Daniella so it was bound to end just as badly with Joel. "About Tess..." She shifted on her feet slightly, trying to find a way to say this in a good way. She gave her condolences to Daniella and got a nod but then an angry remark when she brought up soldiers. She wasn't sure what to expect with Joel. "I don't even know what to-" Her sentence was cut off by Joel, who didn't want to hear a word of whatever she was attempting to say or ask.

        "Here's how this thing's gonna play out," Joel stated in a very stern tone as he looked over at Ellie. "You don't bring up Tess." He shook his head. "Ever." Ellie had hardly knew Tess so he didn't need any condolences from her. Joel glanced over towards Daniella as he heard her release a few whimpers at the mention of Tess and he frowned as he noticed a few (more) tears spill down her cheeks that hadn't been dry for a while now. He looked back over at Ellie, a frown still on his face. "Matter of fact, we can just keep our histories to ourselves." He didn't want Ellie knowing more about him or Daniella and he didn't want to know more about Ellie. "Secondly," he began as he started to point at Ellie while she paced a bit in front of him. "Don't tell anybody about your  _condition_. They'll either think you're crazy or they'll try to kill you." He placed his right hand down on his thigh as he gestured with his other hand. "Lastly, you do what I say, when I say it. Or, god forbid, if we were to be split up again, you do whatever Daniella or Nathan tells you." They were bound to possibly be split in half again by something. "We clear?" he asked. Ellie nodded, mumbling a 'sure'. "Repeat it."

        Ellie sighed as she stared at Joel. "What you say, goes."

        "We'll keep our eyes on her, Dad," Daniella commented as she stood up, the knees of her clothing dirty from her being seated on the ground. She wiped the tears that were flowing down her cheeks and it appeared that the well was beginning to run dry, meaning she was beginning to finish crying. Sadness was written all over her face but she knew she wouldn't get much comfort now, her mourning session passing. This is how life was nowadays. You can only mourn for a short time before moving on with your life. That didn't mean that she was going to forget Tess and it didn't mean that she wouldn't be affected by it further down the path. Nathan tried to place his hand on her shoulder but she moved away from him, stepping to stand beside Ellie and she remained facing her father. Nathan sighed and he moved to stand behind them both, nodding in agreement with what Daniella had said.

        Joel stared at the three of them for a short moment before he spoke again, looking away from them as he looked around the area. "Good." He stood up, still facing away from them. "Now, there's a town a few miles north of here. There's a fella there that owes me some favors. Good chance he could get us a car."

        Daniella let out a groan because she immediately knew who her father was talking about. "Oh, that's just great. We need  _his_ help. Joy," she stated sarcastically. The fella Joel spoke of, Bill, wasn't Daniella's favorite person in the planet. She had met him before and had encountered him a few times after, none of those times being very pleasant. She greatly disliked the man, just as much as the man disliked her back. Nathan and Ellie both looked at Daniella with some interest about who the man was. Daniella noticed Ellie looking at her and looked towards her, soon seeing that Nathan was interested too (she could see his look from the corner of her eye). "You'll find out why I'm reacting this way when you see him. Trust me, neither of you will like him very much." She didn't like this news at all. First, Tess died and now, she has to deal with Bill. Joy to the world.

        "Let's get a move on," Joel stated before he began to move onward. With another groan, Daniella started moving after him with her arms crossed, Ellie and Nathan following behind her. Their adventures with Bill certainly were going to be something else...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my Supernatural fanfiction. You might enjoy it or you might not, but at least look at it to give me some feedback or to at least see the difference in my writing for that and my writing for this.
> 
> I hope I portrayed everyone realistically. If not, I am terribly sorry about that. By the way, 'hop aboard the pallet express' is close to what Pewdiepie said in his gameplay at this part (that's the reference).


	27. Heading to Bill's Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Self Explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may be a little effy. Probably not one of my bests but it's decent, I suppose. Not much happens so that's probably why. Sorry that Joel barely talks!
> 
> Warning(s): Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Conversation Filled, Somewhat. There is a PewDiePie Reference in Here, Due to My Following His Gameplay Somewhat. More Dialogue Than The Previous Chapter, I Think (Maybe Not). Definitely Missing A Few Conversations That Happen In-Game Regardless (Convo Wasn't Optional In-Game And Happened Anyways).

         _Daniella let out a groan because she immediately knew who her father was talking about. "Oh, that's just great. We need **his**  help. Joy," she stated sarcastically. The fella Joel spoke of, Bill, wasn't Daniella's favorite person in the planet. She had met him before and had encountered him a few times after, none of those times being very pleasant. She greatly disliked the man, just as much as the man disliked her back. Nathan and Ellie both looked at Daniella with some interest about who the man was. Daniella noticed Ellie looking at her and looked towards her, soon seeing that Nathan was interested too (she could see his look from the corner of her eye). "You'll find out why I'm reacting this way when you see him. Trust me, neither of you will like him very much." She didn't like this news at all. First, Tess died and now, she has to deal with Bill. Joy to the world._

         _"Let's get a move on," Joel stated before he began to move onward. With another groan, Daniella started moving after him with her arms crossed, Ellie and Nathan following behind her. Their adventures with Bill certainly were going to be something else..._

        Walking along a trail that laid in between the entrances of the woods, the four were silently just making their way towards Lincoln, otherwise known by Daniella and Joel as Bill's Town. The four of them had walked a couple of miles to get outside of the town in which Bill was residing within. Out of the four of them, two of them were wearing completely different attires than what they had been wearing all this time (the group had taken a slight pause at one point for this to occur) and those two were the lovely couple, Daniella and Nathan. Daniella was wearing a gray tank-top with a worn-out unbuttoned red plaid shirt over it, along with some torn blue jeans that slightly revealed a darkened line that was running down the side of her pale-colored leg (this was her scar, which won't be explained further until the far future because reasons) and the same old worn-out shoes she was always wearing. However, an outfit change wasn't all that was different about Daniella because her dark sandy-blonde hair was now cut to be about as short as Joel's hair, which was necessary due to it having been long enough for Infected to grab onto and only recently did they finally do something about that. Nathan, on the other hand, only had a change of attire, wearing a gray t-shirt with a buttoned-up black plaid shirt over it along with some torn black jeans and the same old worn-out shoes he always wore. Ellie and Joel were still wearing the same clothing as before (obviously).

        Joel slowed his walking and he pointed towards his right as he turned in that specific direction. He was pointing to a water tower, one for the town they were heading to. "Now, there we go. It'll be faster if we go through here." Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan slowed to a stop behind him, all three of them following behind Joel as he jumped over the rail that separated the woods from the road they stood on (or had been standing on). The four of them now inside the woods, they slowly began to make their way towards where the town was located.

        "Man..." Ellie commented as she stared around at the scenery. All around them were trees and, well, nature. A few rabbits were hopping by their feet as they walked and Ellie smiled a little. "I've never seen anything like this." She never had taken a stroll through the woods before, thanks to her being raised within the walls where she grew to be naive of many, many things. She never saw rabbits running around, but she was certain that she probably ate a few without knowing that was what she was eating.

        "The woods?" Nathan questioned as he looked at her. Ellie nodded, her attention still on the nature surrounding them. He scoffed and shook his head. "There's nothing special about the woods, Ellie. You weren't missing out on anything." The back of his head was, then, smacked by Daniella and he threw his hands behind his head, looking over at Daniella. "Ow! What the hell?!"

        Daniella was glaring at him. "Excuse you, Sir, but nature is a beautiful thing and you should learn to appreciate it more. Especially now because of the world being as it is. Think about it. With trees growing everywhere and with animals roaming, we've got more chances of finding meat, berries, and fruit. Nature is trying to help us out, in a small way." Nathan just rolled his eyes and mumbled a 'whatever'.

        The four of them walked down the path within the woods, walking by boulders as they turned right at a corner and they walked through some water. All of them heading towards a drainage ditch, Ellie started to speak again since everyone had gone silent. "Why don't you guys just take me back to Marlene?" she questioned. Why were they still attempting to help her out after Tess' death? How could none of them be blaming her for that? Why were they so willing to continue this despite the added risks?

        "If she was up to the task, why'd she drop you off on us?" Joel questioned back.

        "Maybe she's better now," Ellie countered.

        Nathan snorted. "Ha, yeah right. Ellie, I'm sorry but your bitch of a friend had very low chances of survival to begin with. All thanks to her status as a goddamn Firefly. Her fate was sealed the minute she became one." Fireflies were getting killed off rapidly inside the walls and outside of them. It was likely that Marlene had either died from her injuries or was shot down by more soldiers.

        "He isn't wrong, Ellie," Daniella stated with a frown. "But since she is a friend of yours, I hope she's alright and that she stays out of trouble." She shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe the two of you will meet up again in the future. I mean, our journey ends when we finally get to where all those Fireflies are. Perhaps she'll make a journey to get there, too, and be more successful than us." If Marlene was okay and was planning to head to where all of them were going, she'd likely take a shorter route to the location because she'd know exactly where it was.

        "She's tougher than you guys think she is," Ellie commented as the four of them cut through the drainage ditch and continued down the path, heading up the hill to their left. "But yeah," she said in response to what Daniella had said last. "Maybe." That conversation ended right there.

        The four of them got to the top of the hill and they approached a security gate. However, the gate was locked up tight by chains so they'd have to find another way through. Turning left of the gate, the four of them hopped over a fallen tree (and Ellie temporarily got distracted by actual fireflies, which Daniella thought was adorable considering she started smiling). Joel climbed up onto the shack and began looking around at the scenery while Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan stayed standing near the shack. However, Joel instructed for one of them to grab the plank that was nearby and Nathan took that task, jogging past the shack and towards the brick wall where the plank was sitting up against. He picked it up and he carried it over to the shack, where he passed it on to Joel. Taking it, Joel sat the plank down so that it was on the roof of the shack and the roof of the building across from all of them. As Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan climbed up onto the shack, Joel noticed a modified lead pipe at his feet and he picked it up, soon somehow securing it to his backpack so that he wouldn't have to carry it in his hands the whole time.

        One by one, the four of them crossed the set plank and they stepped onto the roof of the building across from them, seeing smoke in the distance. Hopping off the building and landing on the opposite side of the security gate, they jogged by an abandoned van and ran underneath the water tower, heading towards the left and down a hill where they dropped down a small ledge where the fence had been broken open. Unfortunately, the four of them had entered the territory of two clickers BUT no real worry there since both Infected were taken out by Shivs from Joel and Nathan (go team!). With danger out of the way, the four of them began to walk towards the left side of the building and the lovebirds quickly checked inside the building, getting few supplies before they quickly regrouped with Ellie and Joel. As they all dropped down another ledge, they slowly approached another security gate that was locked.

        Before they reached it, Nathan was scared out of his pants by Ellie when she started to randomly blow air out of her mouth. He looked at her and immediately placed a hand to his chest as he started to calm down. "Goddamn it, Ellie. You scared the fucking shit outta me." Daniella started laughing and he glared at her. "It's not fucking funny." He looked back at Ellie as she continued to blow air. "What the fuck are you doing?" He was so confused and he was quite a bit irritated with what just happened. "Whatever it is, just stop it already."

        Ellie paused for a moment and explained. "I'm trying to learn how to whistle."

        Nathan stared at her blankly. "Seriously? You don't know how to whistle?"

        "Does it sound like I know how to whistle?" Ellie started attempting to whistle for the next few seconds but eventually, she stopped as she decided to give up for now, seeing as her trying to do this was annoying two of the three she was with.

        "That was a lovely first attempt, Ellie," Daniella praised. "The first time I tried, a lot of spit was flying out of my mouth. And to this day, I still can't whistle for shit." Ellie smiled and nodded, acknowledging this unneeded information. It was kind of a little moment for the two of them, at least, but other than that, the information was useless.

        The three of them looked over at Joel, realizing that they had stopped walking and that Joel had already reached the security gate. Walking up to him, they came to realize that the door was jammed from the other side by a lead pipe. With the brilliant thinking of Ellie, Joel boasted her up to the ledge of the gate that had no wires and Ellie landed on the other side of the gate. In seconds, she had the lead pipe unwedged and she tossed it to the ground, opening up the door. "Ta-da," she commented. She smiled a little as Daniella clapped quietly with a grin. At least someone was really happy about her help. With short thank you's from Joel and Nathan, Ellie stepped aside as Daniella, Nathan, and Joel walked through the gate. Officially, the four of them had entered Bill's Town. All that was left was to find exactly where he was located. That shouldn't be too hard, right...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last update for Last of Us this year. Next month, expect an update to appear at some point and expect the chapter to be a bit longer than this one.


	28. Fuck You, Bill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill Has Arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Out of Character Moments. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Longer Chapter Than The Last, As Promised (I Think I Promised That). Conversation Filled, Somewhat (More Than Last Time, At Least). There is a PewDiePie Reference in Here, Somewhere, Due to My Following His Gameplay Somewhat. Definitely Missing A Few Conversations That Happen In-Game Regardless (Meaning, Some Conversations That Weren't Optional In-Game That Happened Anyways May Not Appear B/c Reasons). Action Filled. Arguments Occur, Meaning Bill Has Arrived Into The Fanfiction (And He Is Exiting In One of the Next Three). Oh and Optional Conversations May Be Left Out (As I Mentioned, I'm Following PewDiePie's Playthrough And He Tends To Miss Shit), Slight Changes From Game.
> 
> I DID MY BESTEST! I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! IF NOT, SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU! DX
> 
> Happy New Year! 2018 better be good!

         _The three of them looked over at Joel, realizing that they had stopped walking and that Joel had already reached the security gate. Walking up to him, they came to realize that the door was jammed from the other side by a lead pipe. With the brilliant thinking of Ellie, Joel boasted her up to the ledge of the gate that had no wires and Ellie landed on the other side of the gate. In seconds, she had the lead pipe unwedged and she tossed it to the ground, opening up the door. "Ta-da," she commented. She smiled a little as Daniella clapped quietly with a grin. At least someone was really happy about her help. With short thank you's from Joel and Nathan, Ellie stepped aside as Daniella, Nathan, and Joel walked through the gate. Officially, the four of them had entered Bill's Town. All that was left was to find exactly where he was located. That shouldn't be too hard, right...?_

        Daniella, Ellie, Joel, and Nathan began to walk away from the security gate that Ellie had opened up. The four of them were within Bill's Town, which appeared to be mostly deserted and it probably had some lingering Infected hiding in some corners of it so they'd have to remain cautious as they explored and looked for Bill. Joel, as usual, was leading the way and Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan were tagging along behind him, the three of them walking beside one another. Abandoned vehicles were parked here and there, the buildings were expectedly torn-down or old, and weeds were growing everywhere, on the houses and in the road. It wouldn't be a surprise if weeds were growing inside of some buildings. That is what this world had come to and it didn't seem like it could be stopped (at least, not without Ellie).

        As the four of them walked, Ellie asked the three of them a question. "So, let's say we get a car from this buddy of yours," she began. Okay, so, maybe the question was directed towards just Daniella and Joel since Nathan didn't know Bill at all. "Then, what?" She just wanted to know what the full plan was. She just wanted to know that they weren't running blind here. She assumed that once they had a working car, if they ended up getting one, they'd go searching for the Fireflies again. That is what their purpose was, getting herself to the Fireflies alive so that the world could be saved. If a cure couldn't be found in the end, hopefully something to make everyone immune could be created instead.

        "Well, then we'll go find Tommy," Joel answered first (and immediately). "He was a Firefly. He'd know where to take you." His plan was to leave (or dump) Ellie off where Tommy was so that Tommy could finish the mission for them. The sooner she was out of his hands, the better. He didn't want to risk Daniella or himself getting killed over trying to get Ellie all the way to where the Fireflies were. Nathan, eh, Nathan could die whenever since Joel still didn't give two shits about him. Although, Nathan was trying to be decent so Joel could give him some credit for that.

        "Why can't we just get a car and then let Daniella lead the way so that we can avoid the wild goose chase?" Nathan questioned. This plan to find Tommy sounded difficult. He wasn't sure if Joel even knew exactly where Tommy was.

        "Because, straw for brains, I didn't give two shits about their crap while I was with them. I was just in the group to be in it and I got bored rather fast," Daniella stated. "Sorry for the inconvenience." With that, the conversation ended and the four of them silently continued onward down the street until they reached a music store. Taking a left, the four of them began to head down an alleyway that was right beside the store. Ahead of them, at the end of the alleyway was a tripwire but before they were anywhere remotely close to it, a Clicker came out of nowhere and it walked right into the wire, exploding and dying seconds later. "What the bloody hell was that?!" Daniella exclaimed, her having not noticed the wire and the explosion in front of her had caused her to jump, her having grabbed onto Nathan's arm.

        "Yeah, what the hell was that?" Ellie asked as well, her eyes wide from what she just witnessed. She hadn't seen the wire either. Nathan appeared to be sweating, an anxious expression on his face; he didn't have to hear it be confirmed to know that the Clicker had set off a trap and he could only imagine how many more traps were set up nearby. Yeah, they really needed to careful.

        "That would be one of Bill's traps," Joel informed them.

        Daniella let out a groan as she released Nathan's arm. "God, I forgot all about those. Another reason why I hate the son of a bitch." Joel turned around to give her a stern look and she just shrugged. "What? It's the truth." She really hated the man.

        As the four of them entered the back alley, Ellie looked down at the dead Clicker and stood by it. "Your friend a bit paranoid, maybe?" she questioned as she shook her head slightly. She was very, very glad that she wasn't laying where that Clicker was. Perhaps the Infected were good for some things, like setting off that one trap and, nope, that's about it, just good for setting off traps that could kill them. She moved away from the dead Clicker and she moved to follow beside Daniella and Nathan as the three of them followed Joel down the back alley. She didn't get a response to her question but she didn't exactly need one to begin with since that trap spoke louder than words. Literally. "What's the deal with this guy?" Ellie asked a few seconds later as she spotted an arrow or two sticking out of a corpse nearby. "Is he good with a bow?"

        "According to that dead Infected bastard, yeah. I'd say Bill is a pretty good shot with a bow," Daniella responded, answering only the second question. "However, that does not change my view of him at all. He's still a dick that likes dick." Nathan's eyes seemed to widen at the sudden reveal of Bill being gay and Ellie just made a humming sound, not really caring about the reveal. With that, she grabbed the two arrows and the bow quiver that was laying beside it, placing the arrows inside the quiver. "This may come in handy for us. Bill isn't gonna miss it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left it here in the first place." After placing the strap around her and maneuvering the quiver to be behind her, she gestured towards Joel since he'd answer the first question better than she could.

        Joel sighed, shaking his head before he began moving along again, the three following behind him. "Well, he helped us smuggle stuff into the city. He's... He knows how to find things. Just watch your step. You'll be fine." Okay, so, maybe Daniella could had answered that question since Joel gave an half-assed answer but it was whatever now. The back alley being blocked (or barricaded in other words), Joel picked up the ladder that was laying on the ground near a truck and he placed it against said truck, soon climbing up it with the others following close behind him. As the others were climbing up one by one, Joel waited by the plank that was set up and he happened to glance towards the chair that was positioned near where he got up from. Daniella appeared on the truck first, Ellie and Nathan coming behind her slowly, and she took a few steps forwards. Joel gestured towards the bow that was laying against the wall. "I believe you were missing something?"

        Daniella looked towards where Joel was gesturing and she smiled, leaning over to pick up the bow and another arrow that was laying in front of it. She placed the arrow into the quiver on her back and she tested out the bow to see if it was usable, and it was. As she was doing such, Ellie had already climbed up onto the truck and Nathan was only just getting on the truck as well. He spotted the bow in Daniella's hand and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so, you're gonna be shooting arrows now instead of bullets?" he questioned. "Kind of a waste, if you ask me, since you don't have many arrows."

        Daniella shrugged and she somehow managed to placed the bow into one of the side straps of her backpack. "I wasn't planning on using it this soon. Maybe if I find more arrows, I will, but I'd rather use this when we want to not risk drawing in more Infected." And if they came across something, maybe she'd kill it with the bow and arrow just to test it out but she didn't plan on using it too much, due to lack of arrows and a small lack of skill with using a bow. She wasn't great at everything.

        "Let me use that," Ellie suggested. "I'm a pretty good shot with that thing. I can even cover you and then, all of us would be armed." She wanted to be of more use to everyone. So far, she was just basically tagging along while the adults dealt with all the hard stuff. She wanted to help out, kill some Infected with them. It would up their chances of survival.

        Nathan and Daniella both seemed to like that idea but Joel did not. "I don't think so. How 'bout we just leave this kind of stuff to me, Daniella, and Nathan," Joel stated, being the main voice of authority in this little group. None of the three bothered arguing with Joel, seeing that he was dead set on Ellie not having a weapon. Although, there were various other reasons to why no one was arguing. For Ellie and Nathan, neither of them wanted to argue with Joel, especially with him being stubborn about this decision of his; plus, arguments could cause loud noises and Infected might show up so they couldn't risk that. For Daniella, she just figured that Joel didn't trust Ellie very much still and she had her hopes that he'd grow to trust her enough to allow her to have, at least, a pistol.

        Conversations dying down, the four of them took their time walking across the plank (one at a time) and going up the ladder of the building they crossed to (one at a time as well). However, on the rooftop, there didn't seem to be any planks that they could use to cross over to the next rooftop so Nathan backtracked and he got the plank that they had walked across, placing it beside the ladder so that Joel could pick it up and as Nathan climbed up the ladder a second time, Joel was already placing the plank for them to walk across. Joel went across to the other rooftop first, followed by Daniella, then Ellie, and finally Nathan. Approaching the ladder that was ahead of them, one that lead down to the next roof, the four of them stopped a Clicker that was remaining in one place. Deciding to use her new bow for some good use and some practice since it had been a while since she used a bow, she pulled the bow out and readied an arrow, attempting to aim at the Clicker's head. She missed the first shot but while the Clicker had moved to look at the wall, she managed to shoot an arrow into its head while it was moving around, killing it. "Nice shooting," Nathan praised. Daniella smiled at him as she placed her bow away and she smiled more when Joel pat her on the shoulder, silently giving her his praise as he cracked a smile before he climbed down the ladder.

        As Ellie climbed down the ladder next while Daniella and Nathan hopped down to the next roof, Joel began warning Ellie and Nathan. He wasn't that fond of either of them but they did, at least, deserve some sort of head's up. "Now, listen. Bill ain't exactly the most stable of individuals. So, when we get there, you let me do the talkin'. You understand?" When Nathan and Ellie both said that they understood, Joel continued. "We gotta be clear on this. He... He doesn't take too kindly to strangers. Bill's a good guy. He just definitely needs some time warming up to you, that's all."

        Daniella scoffed. "Needs some time, my ass. The jackass has hated me since the minute he laid an inch of his eye on me. He barely even glanced at me and he hated me! What makes you think he'd warm up to Nathan and Ellie? You can't stand Nathan and Ellie is like a, an umm... She's a mini me. If you ask me, things aren't going to go very well." Truth is what she was speaking.

        "Try not to bother him, then. It takes two to tango," Joel pointed out before sighing.

        Daniella sighed as well. "Whatever, Dad."

        The four of them continued to cross the rooftops, climbing up a vent to reach the next one. Taking turns dropping down the next ladder, each of them ducked underneath a wire that was set up nearby that was connected to either side of the alleyway wall. Nearby, they could hear banging on a metal door but none of them went to go check that out since it was probably Infected. Not worth the risk. They approached a fence gate but the entrance was blocked by another wire. With quick thinking, Joel picked up a brick and he tossed it at the wire, setting off the trap (which caused Daniella and Ellie both to jump a bit despite that they knew it would happen). Heading through the fence, they walked through the alley until they spotted a lower placed wire and once again, Joel picked up a nearby brick and he set off the trap with said brick. Moving onward, they turned a corner and found easy access to a warehouse, via an open doorway. After getting some ammo from a drawer, Joel opened up the door and immediately regretted that decision.

        Opening up the door to the warehouse and stepping inside triggered a snare trap that ended up suspending Joel in the air by his foot. The suddenness of it startled almost everyone but everyone remained as calm as they could in this little situation. Daniella steadied her father, keeping him from swinging around any further and she, additionally, might had slightly hit him on the arm. "Don't scare me like that, Dad. I almost thought that you were about to be split apart," she told him, a frown on her face. "I'm gonna kill Bill when I see him." The bastard could've gotten her father killed with his goddamn traps. She looked towards Nathan and Ellie, who were standing behind her. Ellie was waiting for something to do and Nathan seemed to be looking around for something. "Nate?"

        Nathan was looking at the rope wrapped around Joel's foot and he followed it all the way to the culprit. "The fridge. That's the counterweight." He jogged over to the fridge, prepared to begin attempting to set Joel free. "Ellie," he said after a moment, looking back towards her. "I could use your help with this. Daniella, just stay with your dad and keep a look out for anything. The trap caused a whole lot of noise." Daniella nodded; he didn't even have to tell her that because she was gonna do that anyways. Ellie, she jogged over to Nathan so that she could help him out.

        "Daniella," Joel said, gaining her attention. "Next time, remind me to make Nathan go first." Daniella snickered a little and she rolled her eyes before nodding. Daniella, then, pulled out a handgun and she glanced around the area, listening for any sudden sounds of Infected and looking for any signs of Infected in case they tried to creep up on them somehow. Across from Daniella and Joel, Nathan was helping Ellie climb onto the fridge so that she could cut the rope with her knife that he knew she had on her person. "Cut the rope and it'll bring me down!" Joel yelled to Ellie.

        Nathan rolled his eyes as he glanced back towards where Daniella and Joel were. "Shut up, old man! We knew that already! Goddamn!" Even though he was half telling Joel not to be loud, he was being loud himself. His yelling and his words resulted in Joel glaring at him and he glared right back before he looked back towards the fridge, stepping back a bit so that he could look up at Ellie. He could see her attempting to cut the rope. "How's it coming, kid?!" he asked rather loudly.

        "Dude, I only just started! Give me some space!" Ellie replied in a loud tone, rolling her eyes as she attempted to free the rope from the fridge. She was trying to hurry. She knew that with all the noise they were making, Infected were likely to be heading towards their location.

        Within a few mere seconds, the sounds of Infected filled the air and Nathan quickly pulled out his weapon, moving further back from the fridge as he eyed the three garage entrances with his gun aimed and ready to fire. Daniella had her weapon up and ready as well, waiting for some Infected to run in on them. As Nathan and Daniella somehow moved to be beside each other, both of them still near Joel and both ready to protect Joel from harm, two Runners ran inside and Joel managed to pull out his own weapon, firing it from upside down (and it was quite difficult, considering he missed several shots). Thankfully, Daniella and Nathan managed to take the Runners down together before either Runner got near the three of them. Three more Runners entered the warehouse they were in, causing Daniella and Nathan both to back up to avoid getting grabbed. They each killed a Runner and Joel killed the third one, somehow managing a head-shot and he additionally killed the Clicker that showed up in the area, killing it from a distance with skill and many misses.

        "Any time, Ellie!" Joel exclaimed as he reloaded his weapon for probably the fourth time. He really didn't like being suspended upside down, especially with incoming Infected. Suddenly, the fridge that had been slightly suspended landed on the ground and it tipped over, causing Joel to be higher in the air and causing Ellie to fall off the top of the fridge. Daniella ran over to Ellie, helping her up while Nathan moved to be in front of them, ready to protect them. "You alright?!" Joel asked, getting a 'yeah' in response from Ellie before he caught the ammo that she tossed him. Ellie quickly went to the fridge, attempting to cut the rope free some more and Daniella moved to be on her right, her gun up again.

        Three Runners ran inside the warehouse, two from where Daniella and Nathan were looking towards and one from behind them. Taking out the two in front of them, Daniella and Nathan both turned around to see Ellie being chased by the last Runner that ran in, Joel firing at it but missing quite a bit again. "Stay the fuck away from her!" Daniella yelled as she ran at the Runner, afraid that she'd end up shooting Ellie if she fired her weapon. She knocked it against the nearby wall and she smashed its head in quickly. She turned around quickly and she placed Ellie behind her as another Runner and a Clicker entered the area. She began firing at the Clicker that was running at them while Nathan handled the Runner. Daniella fired until she had to reload again (for, like, the fifth time probably) and the Clicker nearly got ahold of her when Joel killed it, firing a bullet into its head. "Thanks, Dad!" Daniella yelled. "Come on, Ellie!" She and Ellie ran back over to the fridge, the two of them working together this time to release the rope that was holding Joel while Nathan covered them. It didn't take long before the rope came loose and Joel fell onto the ground roughly.

        As Joel was getting up, more Infected entered the warehouse and a Runner attacked Joel. Thankfully, Daniella and Ellie both gave him a head's up before it got to him. The Runner managed to knock Joel down and Joel struggled to keep the Runner from scratching and biting him. No one came to his rescue right away since Daniella was busy protecting Ellie and Nathan was too busy protecting both females from Infected. The person that did come to Joel's rescue was Bill, him being all geared up (his over-weighted self was wearing pants, a jacket over some dark colored shirt, some nasty boots, and a dirty blue scarf over his face which covered up his brown beard and mustache; additionally, he had brown eyes and he was holding a machete, a backpack strapped on his person) and he sliced the Infected's head off before helping Joel up. Bill ran towards a side opening, Joel and the others running right behind him. Bill closed the grated door as the four ran ahead, only for the four to pause their running because Infected were climbing over a car they could've maneuvered over. Backtracking, the four ran past Bill, who fired at the Infected that got over the car, and they entered another alleyway where they came in contact with a locked door. Bill caught up to them and Daniella, Nathan, and Joel covered him while he opened the door, the five of them running inside quickly before Bill locked the door behind him.

        None of them had time to relax because some Infected ran inside the laundry mat they had entered. Working together, those with weapons quickly dispatched the Infected before everyone started running out of the open door on the other side of the place. "Alright, come on, we're almost there. Follow me," Bill said, speaking for the first time to any of them. Or perhaps he had spoken to them before but they hadn't been paying attention to his words because Infected were chasing them. Cutting through the truck outside, the five of them ran towards the open door and they entered a building. Joel and Bill slammed the door behind them as a Clicker came running at them, locking it so that the Infected couldn't get inside. After a few bangs on the door, the Infected sounded like they were running off to somewhere else.

        "Man, that was close," Ellie panted out as she paced back and forth in front of Daniella and Nathan. Nathan was checking Daniella for bites and she was trying to push him off her, getting a bit annoyed since she wanted to catch her breath first. Ellie stopped pacing, looking towards Joel and Bill. Bill stared at her through his mask and he began approaching her. "Uh, thanks for the heroics and all." Bill stopped walking and he took off his mask, staring down at Ellie. Nathan, Joel, and Daniella looked over at the two and Daniella looked like she was about to make a move on Bill but Nathan held her back. "Uh, Ellie," Ellie continued, introducing herself. She raised her right hand and immediately, Bill started handcuffing her. "Hey, what are you-? Dani! Joel!" Bill handcuffed her to a pipe as Daniella broke free from Nathan's grasp. However, Bill pointed a gun at Daniella and she stopped in her tracks, raising her hands (thankfully, she had put away her weapon earlier or he probably would've shot her). Additionally, Daniella made sure she was standing in front of Nathan protectively since he was a stranger to Bill.

        "Turn around and get on your knees," Bill demanded, keeping the gun on her. Daniella hesitated for a moment. "Turn around and get on your knees! All of you!" He made a mistake to point the gun towards Joel because as he was doing such, Daniella jumped him and made him fire the gun up into the ceiling. As the two of them struggled and while Joel and Nathan were trying to keep them from harming each other, Ellie broke the pipe that she was cuffed to and she hit Bill with it once, making him crouch over from the pain as he released his hold on his weapon, which Daniella kept in her hand for a second before Joel took it from her (just in case she tried to kill Bill with it). "Son of a bitch!" Bill exclaimed as he moved away from them and them away from him. All he wanted to do was make sure none of them were infected.

        Joel looked at Bill and he approached him, broken pipe in hand (he had to take it from Ellie since she had planned on hitting Bill a second time). "Are you done?"

        "Am I done?!" Bill exclaimed as he looked at Joel. "You come into my house, you set off all my traps-" He looked past Joel and he stared towards Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan, Nathan appearing to be holding both females back by himself. "-You bring  _her_  with you, you bring these other two with you-" He looked at Ellie. "You damn near break my shootin' arm. Who the fuck are these punks and what're they doing here?" he asked, looking back at Joel.

        "Nice seeing you again, too, Fatso," Daniella remarked rudely. Screw being nice and screw not annoying him. He annoyed her first so it wasn't her fucking fault.

        Ellie managed to get past Nathan as Nathan struggled to keep Daniella from jumping forward again since she really seemed like she wanted to murder Bill. "I am none of your goddamn business!" she (Ellie) exclaimed. "We're here because you owe Joel some favors and you can start by taking these off!" She held up her right arm, waving around her cuffed hand.

       Joel made sure Ellie stayed back while Bill walked towards a nearby counter where a map was laying. "I owe Joel some favors. Is this some kind of joke?" He began to sharpen his machete as Joel explained that they needed a car while Ellie moved to stand by Daniella and Nathan. "Well, it is a joke. Joel needs a car. Well, if I had one that works, which I sure as hell don't, what makes you think I'd just give it to you? Yes, sure, Joel. Go ahead, take my car. Take all my food, too, while you're at it." He was speaking his second language: sarcasm.

        "I see why you hate him," Nathan muttered under his breath, speaking to Daniella. She scoffed as she rolled her eyes, giving up and stopping her struggles, her eyes locked on Bill with a glare.

        Rudely, Ellie made a remark about Bill's weight like Daniella had as she re-approached Joel and Bill. "By the looks of it, you could lose some of that food." Daniella smirked as she burst out laughing but her laughter stopped almost immediately when Bill pointed his machete at Ellie. Brushing Nathan to the side, Daniella quickly pulled Ellie back and she quickly flipped off Bill, resulting in him calling her and Ellie 'little shits', which result in Daniella and Ellie both saying 'fuck you' to Bill as Joel pushed them both to the side.

        "I need you to shut up," Joel told Ellie before he looked at Daniella and said, "I need you to behave."

        "He fucking started it!" Daniella exclaimed, flipping off Bill again as she glared at the older man from where she was standing.

        "Well, then, I'm finishing it!" Joel exclaimed back. Daniella threw her arms up and she walked away from Joel, kicking some things that were in her way. Ellie followed behind her with a huff. Joel looked at Nathan. "Keep an eye on them. Don't let them do anything else." Nathan made a face, one of annoyance since he barely could keep them both back to begin with, and he nodded shortly, knowing he didn't have a choice in this matter. Joel walked back over to Bill as Nathan kept his eye on the females.

        "Whatever favors you think I owe you," Bill began as he continued sharpening his machete, "it ain't worth that much." He wanted nothing to do with them.

        "Actually, Bill, they are," Joel insisted, desperate for a ride outta there.

        "Well, it don't matter 'cause I don't have a car that works," Bill stated. Joel quickly pointed out that there had to be one inside the town but Bill quickly corrected him as he stopped his sharpening of the machete, looking at Joel. "Parts. There are parts in this town." And that caused Joel to point out that Bill could fix up a car with the parts within the town. That caused Bill to think for a moment and he rubbed his beard for a second with his gloved hands ( _he was wearing gloves, too, by the way and this is the author speaking, sorry_ ). "Alright. If I'm gonna do this, there's some gear I'm gonna need." He brushed off the map that laid on the table in front of him and he pointed towards one specific spot on it. "It's on the other side of town. Now, you help me go gather it and maybe, I can put something together that runs."

        Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan managed to hear every word of the conversation from where they were. Daniella just couldn't help the remark that came out of her mouth. "Something that runs faster than you, I hope." Ellie snickered, a smile forming on her face (or perhaps it was a smirk). Even Nathan chuckled a bit at that one because the bastard had set himself up for that one unknowingly.

        Bill quickly looked towards Daniella and he glared at her. "I'm getting tired of hearing your goddamn mouth, you little sack of shit."

        Nathan rolled his eyes at the man, Bill beginning to get on his nerves by this point as well. He didn't like the man's sarcasm and he didn't like how the man was so defensive and whatnot. "If you didn't open yourself up to these kinds of comments, you wouldn't have to hear anything from her.  _Fatass_." Why not? He might as well join in on the little harassment fun.

        Bill made a move to approach the three but Joel stopped him. Bill glared at the three instead before he looked at Joel. Jerking away from him, he dismissed what happened since they'd be out of his hair eventually. "Whole goddamn town's booby trapped, best stay right on my ass," he instructed everyone before he walked past each and every one of them, entering the next room (which revealed the building to be a diner).

        "Can't miss it," Ellie remarked as soon as Bill left the room. Nathan and Daniella laughed at that, fist pumping Ellie because of that remark.

        "Knock it off, you three," Joel instructed before he gestured for them to follow him, moving after Bill first. With huffs of breath, the three dislikers of Bill (that being Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie) followed behind Joel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In an earlier chapter, Daniella was mentioned to always go with Joel and Tess when they do drop offs and whatnot, which was why she had her own gear with theirs. Because of this, Daniella has met Bill before. Just wanted to make that clear if there had been any confusion at all during previous chapters or whatever. Prob already mentioned this. Sorry, not sorry. Additionally, I noticed I forgot to mention Dani and Nathan removing their gas masks in that one chapter but that's fine since I'm sure most of you just assumed they removed them once they were out of spores.


	29. Not Much Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniella, Ellie, Nathan, Joel, and Bill head to the second hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Out of Character Moments, Errors in Anything, Cursing, Long Paragraphs, Short Paragraphs Also, Not That Long of a Chapter (Considering It's Mostly Just Actions And Has Little Dialogue), Possible PewDiePie Reference Hidden Inside (Like Usual, It's Either Something He Did Or Something He Said), Definitely Missing A Few Conversations That Happen In-Game Regardless (Meaning, Some Conversations That Weren't Optional In-Game That Happened Anyways May Not Appear B/C Reasons), Action Filled Most Definitely 'Cause of Infected Encounter and Stuff (Kind of Mention This Already, Just Not Fully That First Time), Arguments Occur Again But Are Mostly Mentioned Because It's Mostly Gonna Be An Action-Based Chapter (Sorry, Not Sorry, But You'll Hear A Few More Arguments Next Chapter), Slight Changes From Game, This Chapter May Lack Dialogue (That's Your Final Warning About That).
> 
> I'm sorry if this seems rushed cause it was DX. I apologize for that but it was either a rushed chapter or no update for a longer period of time. I'm honestly doing my best with this and I'm sorry if it starts turning into something you dislike. By this point, I'm just trying to get it finished.
> 
> Although I won't be mentioning this much within chapters anymore, everyone will still be gathering items and placing them in their bags for later use. From now on, only time gathering is mentioned is when the item in question is about to be used on something or if the chapter is based on actions mostly. Additionally, I will start trying to mention them using their already gathered items but it tends to slip my mind. Writing a fanfic for a video game is actually quite hard because video game logic tends to exist within the fanfic itself and I'm sorry if that makes things seem a bit sloppy. I'm trying to be as realistic as possible for someone writing a fanfic for a several year old video game. Also, rest in peace, Stephen Hawking.

         _..."Alright. If I'm gonna do this, there's some gear I'm gonna need." He (Bill) brushed off the map that laid on the table in front of him and he pointed towards one specific spot on it. "It's on the other side of town. Now, you help me go gather it and maybe, I can put something together that runs."_

_Daniella, Ellie, and Nathan managed to hear every word of the conversation from where they were. Daniella just couldn't help the remark that came out of her mouth. "Something that runs faster than you, I hope." Ellie snickered, a smile forming on her face (or perhaps it was a smirk). Even Nathan chuckled a bit at that one because the bastard had set himself up for that one unknowingly._

_Bill quickly looked towards Daniella and he glared at her. "I'm getting tired of hearing your goddamn mouth, you little sack of shit."_

_Nathan rolled his eyes at the man, Bill beginning to get on his nerves by this point as well. He didn't like the man's sarcasm and he didn't like how the man was so defensive and whatnot. "If you didn't open yourself up to these kinds of comments, you wouldn't have to hear anything from her. Fatass." Why not? He might as well join in on the little harassment fun._

_Bill made a move to approach the three but Joel stopped him. Bill glared at the three instead before he looked at Joel. Jerking away from him, he dismissed what happened since they'd be out of his hair eventually. "Whole goddamn town's booby trapped, best stay right on my ass," he instructed everyone before he walked past each and every one of them, entering the next room (which revealed the building to be a diner)._

_"Can't miss it," Ellie remarked as soon as Bill left the room. Nathan and Daniella laughed at that, fist bumping Ellie because of that remark._

_"Knock it off, you three," Joel instructed before he gestured for them to follow him, moving after Bill first. With huffs of breath, the three dislikers of Bill (that being Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie) followed behind Joel..._

Upon entering the next room (which happened to be part of a diner), Daniella was the first (apart from Ellie) to realize that Ellie still had the cuff on her wrist. Asking Bill rather rudely for the key, she learnt that he had left it on the table within the room that they just walked out of. Angrily backtracking into the room with Ellie by her side, the two of them eventually reappeared in the diner with the cuffs no longer attached to Ellie. While Nathan was forced to keep Daniella and Ellie in order, Joel searched for supplies within the diner and he found a few useful things (the usual stuff). Soon enough, the lot of them followed behind Bill as he lead them to the back of the diner where a door revealed stairs that lead upwards. Joel followed in the rear since he closed the door behind them.

        A couple more supplies could be found within the room towards the right of the stairs and this time, Nathan went searching in there for them instead of Joel and he found some more of the usual equipment. Whilst this was happening, Bill was talking to himself as Ellie and Daniella shared looks with each other. Shortly afterwards, Nathan re-approached the others and the four of them followed behind Bill as he walked through the corner room of the apartment. He hopped through the glass-less window ahead of them, the other four following behind him one after the other (Joel last, Dani first in the line up). Along the journey of lots of walking through the building, Bill explained his plan while additionally insulting Ellie, Daniella, and Nathan, all in that order, but for the most part, he revealed that he was leading them to another hideout of his that had the equipment they needed if they were gonna actually do this shit. Eventually, they came across more stairs and they descended down them, entering a restaurant. The sounds of an Infected put almost all of them on alert except for Bill, whom knew about the Infected being that was trapped inside. As he finished off the Infected female, Bill questioned Joel about why he was avoiding talking about Tess (since Bill brought up Tess, at least, twice during the whole conversation that had mostly himself talking) but Joel lied about it while Ellie, Daniella, and Nathan shared looks with each other while having a sad expression on their faces temporarily.

        The five of them exited through the front door, this happening soon afterwards, and they stepped onto the street. On the street, there were many abandoned and broken down vehicles. As they walked towards the middle of said street, they paused their walking as Ellie began to speak to Bill, trying to be nice while asking a question out of curiosity. "So, why don't you fix one of these cars?"

        False recognition appeared on Bill's face as he began to speak sarcastically. "Oh, my God, you're a genius. I mean, the whole time, why on earth hadn't I thought about fixin' one of these cars?"

        "Okay, asshole," Daniella remarked, practically growling as she glared at Bill. "Enough with the sarcasm and just fucking spit it out. Why can't ya fix them up?" She didn't know much about cars but she could figure out on her own that these cars were completely useless, just by looking at them. She felt Nathan wrap an arm around her waist, but that didn't calm her down one bit.

        "Their tires are rotted and their batteries are dead. Can't even begin to think what the inside of the engine blocks look like," Bill stated, answering Ellie's (and Daniella's) question correctly. "Only ones making new car batteries are the military."

        Nathan scoffed as he removed his arm from around Daniella, crossing his arms grumpily. "Of course they are." Why wouldn't they be the only ones doing that? Goddamn them military bastards, he hated them so much; they ruined shit all the time and they only thought of themselves, most of the time. Suddenly, the sounds for multiple Infected filled the air and everyone was on alert, getting into mainly attacking positions; Ellie, on the other hand, moved to be behind someone since she didn't have a weapon to use that would help her against multiple Infected beings. "Infected!" Nathan yelled, even though he didn't need to. It didn't take long before a bomb suddenly went off as three Runners and two Clickers charged towards the five of them. Those with guns started firing at the Infected, but that wasn't enough to prevent the Infected from closing in on certain people. "Get off me!" Nathan yelled as a Runner grabbed onto him, it being one shot away from dead. He kicked it back and shot it in the head. "No one likes you!" he yelled at it as it dropped to the ground as a corpse.

        With two of the Infected dead (Joel killed one of the Clickers with a hit from his modified pipe that was now a regular pipe cause the shiv was gone), everyone worked together to get rid of the remaining three. Bill killed one of the remaining Runners with a machete, Joel and Daniella fired into the last Runner until it dropped to the ground, and after Ellie distracted the Clicker by hitting it in the face with a brick, Nathan took it out with a shiv because honestly, it was best to take them out with shivs to save the bullets 'cause it usually takes a while before a Clicker goes down from bullets. Even so, Joel was out of bullets for his revolver and he placed it into his bag, now going to have to use either the rifle or the 9mm if they ran into more Infected.

        With the crisis now averted, Bill began talking to himself as he walked to the other side of the street. He unlocked a gate and the five of them went through it, Bill locking it back up behind them. He gave directions to Joel and Joel lead them all up some stairs that went all the way up to a church and they stepped towards the cellar entrance. Joel opened it and Bill stepped inside first, followed by Daniella and Ellie, Nathan, and, finally, Joel. Inside the cellar, Daniella, Nathan, and Ellie grouped up by a bookshelf while Joel and Bill had a very lengthy discussion that lasted a while. Before that had happened, Joel had denied Ellie a gun and unbeknownst to him, Daniella handed off her own gun to Ellie, leaving herself with just the bow and arrows. Anyways, the lengthy conversation between Bill and Joel was about the suicide mission and about partners. Immediately after the conversation was over with, Bill tossed Joel a shotgun.

        Shortly after Joel and the lovebirds had learned to create pipe bombs, the five of them began to make their way towards the staircase. However, something caught Joel's eye as he walked by Ellie and he stopped walking to look. He eyed the gun that she was holding and recognizing it as Daniella's, he looked towards his daughter. "No. I absolutely forbid this. She shouldn't have a gun and you shouldn't be without one."

        Daniella rolled her eyes. "Who cares? If you're so worried about me, give her your gun instead and I'll take mine back. But above all, she's gonna have a goddamn gun. I'm sick of how you've been treating her. As far as I'm aware, she's still a fucking human being and she needs to protect herself because we won't always be near her. We can't just say 'fuck that' and risk her getting killed because of you not wanting her to have a weapon." Joel opened his mouth to speak but Daniella stopped him. "No. Your way of thinking is stupid. For once, you should listen to me and what I think." Joel seemed to be turning red from either anger or embarrassment from being told off by his grown up daughter.

        "Here." Nathan handed off his weapon to Daniella. "That way he won't have a bitch fit." He'd have one either way, probably.

        "But you'd be without a weapon," Daniella pointed out as she took the gun anyway. Nathan just shrugged, not seeming to care about that. Grumpily, Joel handed Nathan his rifle before he moved to follow Bill, not saying a word as the others followed him up the staircase. Daniella was just as stubborn as he was and damn, was he angry about how she spoke to him. He didn't say anything, though, because she was right about Ellie needing something to protect herself...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of right now, the revolver will no longer be shown. Far too many guns to keep up with. And in addition to that, I may be slightly wrong with this listing I'm about to do but I think I'm right. Also, some guns will not be featured in this fanfic. Here are the weapons that they have, they meaning the main gang.
> 
> Joel: 9mm, Shotgun, Shivs, Molotovs, Spike Bombs, Med Kits, Pipe
> 
> Daniella: Unnamed Gun (Given To Her By Nathan), Bow & Arrow, Shivs, Molotovs, Spike Bombs, Med Kits
> 
> Nathan: Rifle (Joel Gave It To Him), Shivs, Molotovs, Spike Bombs, Med Kits
> 
> Ellie: Unnamed Gun (Given To Her By Daniella), Knife (Rarely Using Right Now), Endless Supply of Bricks/Bottles, Med Kits


	30. Through The Graveyard, We Go!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie, Joel, Bill, Nathan, and Daniella go against, or rather sneak by, a lot of infected. A lot of 'em. Too damn many. Lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Out of Character Moments, Errors in Grammar and Spelling or Perhaps More, Cursing, Long Paragraphs, Mainly Action Filled (Stealth/Reckless Mission), There is a PewDiePie Reference in Here (Due to My Following His Gameplay Somewhat), and Little-To-No Dialogue (There Will Be Few Arguments As Promised But Not In This Chapter, Not Really)

         _Shortly after Joel and the lovebirds had learned to create pipe bombs, the five of them began to make their way towards the staircase. However, something caught Joel's eye as he walked by Ellie and he stopped walking to look. He eyed the gun that she was holding and recognizing it as Daniella's, he looked towards his daughter. "No. I absolutely forbid this. She shouldn't have a gun and you shouldn't be without one."_

_Daniella rolled her eyes. "Who cares? If you're so worried about me, give her your gun instead and I'll take mine back. But above all, she's gonna have a goddamn gun. I'm sick of how you've been treating her. As far as I'm aware, she's still a fucking human being and she needs to protect herself because we won't always be near her. We can't just say 'fuck that' and risk her getting killed because of you not wanting her to have a weapon." Joel opened his mouth to speak but Daniella stopped him. "No. Your way of thinking is stupid. For once, you should listen to me and what I think." Joel seemed to be turning red from either anger or embarrassment from being told off by his grown up daughter._

_"Here." Nathan handed off his weapon to Daniella. "That way he won't have a bitch fit." He'd have one either way, probably._

_"But you'd be without a weapon," Daniella pointed out as she took the gun anyway. Nathan just shrugged, not seeming to care about that. Grumpily, Joel handed Nathan his rifle before he moved to follow Bill, not saying a word as the others followed him up the staircase. Daniella was just as stubborn as he was and damn, was he angry about how she spoke to him. He didn't say anything, though, because she was right about Ellie needing something to protect herself..._

Not even a second after the five of them had gotten upstairs to the chapel, Bill was already starting another argument with Daniella and Ellie, telling them that they had better not touched his stuff. While Ellie stated that she didn't even need any of his shit, Daniella made a not so subtle comment towards Bill's sexuality (" **No one cares about your shit, Bill. Except for, you know, gay people** " _)_ that resulted in Nathan asking Daniella if Bill was a homosexual, to which Daniella replied: " **No, he's a fucking unicorn. What the hell do you think?** ". All arguments aside, the five of them walked to the opposite side of the chapel, following Bill to the right window in which they all took turns hopping out of.

        Once the five of them were together upon the ground, Bill allowed Joel to take the lead and he (Bill) ended up in the back of the group. Joel lead Nathan, Daniella, Ellie, and Bill towards the far right of the backyard they were within and he descended down some steps that lead into the graveyard, which Bill commented that this next area would be all new territory for him, too. Within seconds of Joel entering the graveyard first, the clicking sounds of Infected Clickers filled the air suddenly and he crouched down, causing the other four to crouch down in response as they moved to be near him in the first area of the graveyard. From what Joel could tell, there were only two Clickers in the area ahead of them but he instructed the others to remain quiet, just in case there happened to be more than just the two Clickers in the entire graveyard.

        Joel began to maneuver towards the area ahead, his daughter following his lead immediately as she moved to be at his side whilst they both creeped up towards where the Two Clickers were located. While they could hear the Clickers, they couldn't see them and the second the two of them reached the open gate, a Clicker walked in front of it as it moved to stand in front of the stoned wall to the left. The sudden appearance of the Clicker had startled Daniella so badly that she had made a slightly audible noise and Joel was forced to quickly shiv the Clicker before it could alert the other. Daniella had a hand to her chest as she relaxed from her sudden fright, the others coming up behind her. Nathan gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she brushed it off. "I'm fine," she whispered. "The son of a bitch gave me a heart attack, is all. I wasn't expecting it to be right around the damn corner."

        "Expect the unexpected, sweetheart. It keeps you alive," Nathan told her, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Keep that in mind."

        Across from the gate that the five of them were near, the second Clicker was hanging around the far left corner and it seemed to be heading the opposite way now. Thinking quickly, Nathan picked up a nearby bottle and he tossed it towards where the Clicker had previously been at, the shattering glass creating noise that lead the Clicker back towards that general area. Thanks to this, the five of them had enough time to step into the first area, go right so that they went around the tombstone and were away from the Clicker, and they were able to descend down the next set of stairs that lead into the second area, leaving the Clicker alive and hopefully, it would remain in that one area.

        In this second area, three more Clickers could be found and it was amazing how none of the three had heard the noise that Nathan had created. Moving so that all of them stayed close to the wall on their right, the five slowly made their way across this section of the graveyard silently, watching as two Clickers moved around a tombstone that wasn't too close to them. For good measure, Nathan threw another bottle and it landed against the wall that was near the Clickers, causing both Clickers to move away and causing the third Clicker to join the other two. Continuing on their little stealth journey, the five of them descend down some more stairs that lead to a fountain. Walking around that fountain was the final two Clickers of the graveyard. Sticking to staying towards the right, the group tried to move around so that they could reach the back gate but they had to pause their movements when a Clicker near them had decided to backtrack towards their location. Ellie was the one to save their skins, her having picked up a brick from the area they just exited. Tossing it to the opposite side of the area, the Clicker moved away from them to join the second. Eventually, the five of them reached the back gate and Bill unlocked it, allowing the lot of them to sneak through unnoticed and unharmed. Bill closed the door behind them.

        "Damn it," Joel cursed underneath his breath. In the alley that they had entered, ahead of them were two Infected Runners. However, neither Runner were moving around the area and both had their backs turned towards everyone. "You were kidding about this area, were ya?" he questioned Bill. Bill didn't respond, he just hid behind a dumpster as he waited for Joel to make a move. Joel made a move, alright; he began to slowly approach the two Runners and this time, Nathan was at his side whilst Daniella stayed back with Bill and Ellie. Together, the two of them silently took out the Runners. Backtracking only a slight bit, they went to opposite way of where the two Runners had been, resulting in them spotting a third Runner that wasn't moving around. Nathan approached it to take it out while everyone else followed behind him. Afterwards, one by one, the five of them jumped over a downed pole and they cut through a hole in the fence.

        "Seriously?" Daniella groaned quietly as her eyes caught a glimpse of another Clicker. Seconds later, she could hear the Clicker's noises. "We can never catch a really long break, can we?" She sighed, shaking her head. She looked towards Ellie, whom was staying by her side. "Stay close, Ellie." Ellie nodded at her.

        The Clicker was roaming the backyard and two Runners suddenly appeared from the hill. The five (Joel leading, followed by Nathan, than the girls, and then Bill) of them stayed close to the back fence as they continued to sneak around the area. Hitting a dead end (basically), they entered a garage and exited out through one of its few openings. As they snuck across the backyard to get to the opposite site of the area, the Runners and Clickers were making their way towards where they were and luckily, the five of them remained out of sight of the Infected as they entered a second garage. Whilst within said garage, Ellie grabbed a few arrows and she handed them over to Daniella, whom put them in safe keeping. Reentering the alley, they snuck across to the opposite garage. "Fuck these guys," Ellie commented lowly as they entered the third garage.

        "I agree with that, one-hundred percent," Daniella stated softly. She stood up in front of a door in the garage and she attempted to open it, but was unable to because it was tied shut. "Well, shit," she whispered. "It's tied on the other side."

        "Is there another way around?" Nathan questioned.

        "Probably not," Bill answered. For once, he didn't start up an argument and thank the heavens for that.

        "What about through there?" Ellie questioned, pointing towards the bottom of the door that they needed to get through.

        "What, the doggy door?" Bill questioned.

        Daniella sighed. "Alright, fuck it," she mumbled. She crouched down and she removed the wood that covered the doggy door. "Be careful, Ellie," she pleaded. "I don't want anything happening to you." Ellie gave her a thumbs up before she crawled through the doggy door. As the four waited, Bill commented that it was very smart for Daniella to give Ellie a gun. "Um... Thanks?" Daniella was unsure how that happened, having not expected Bill to say something positive towards her but it was whatever; he'd probably be yelling at her again later.

        The door finally opened and Ellie quickly warned everyone. "There's more of those Clicker things inside the house." Immediately, everyone was back in their previous crouching positions.

        "They ain't seen us yet. Just stay down," Joel instructed everyone as he began to lead them into the yard. Two Clickers were standing within the yard, twitching in place. The five snuck past the two of them, heading into the house together, going inside one by one. Nathan took a slight detour once inside, heading around the kitchen counter to look for things but only found a box of ammo. Heading further into the household, another Clicker could be found near the staircase, so they avoided heading too close to it as they headed towards the open back door. Immediately after exiting the household, Bill got in front of everyone and he climbed up onto a trailer before he crossed over to a tree house. The others followed behind quietly, not wishing to alert the Clickers. They all dropped into another backyard, which appeared to be clear of Infected. They entered the new household.

        Joel followed Bill to the garage, having heard from Bill that the school is just on the other side of the house. Nathan followed behind the two of them as well, but paused before entering the garage, looking back to see if Ellie and Daniella were coming. Neither of them headed towards the garage, the two of them heading upstairs to gather any supplies that happened to be up there. Some items for making a health kit and Molotov were found inside one of the bedrooms. As Daniella was putting away the items, Ellie began speaking with her. "Do you have a minute?" she asked. Daniella looked over at her and nodded. "I... I just want to say, I'm sorry." Daniella looked at her, confused. "About Tess," Ellie clarified. Daniella made an 'o' with her mouth, sadness crossing her expression as she looked away. "That's it, I won't bring it up again."

        "It's..." Daniella sighed and she half smiled as she looked at Ellie again. "Thank you, Ellie. You don't need to worry about me, though. Life goes on. She's in a much better place. I'm... I'm glad she doesn't have to deal with this shit anymore." She was looking on the bright side of what happened to her good friend. "Come on. Everyone's waiting for us." After giving Ellie a short one-armed hug, Daniella headed downstairs with Ellie following behind her, the two of them heading to the garage where Joel, Nathan, and Bill were waiting...


	31. Not Quite There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniella, Nathan, Joel, Ellie, and Bill finally make it to the highschool, only to find out that it was a waste to go there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Out of Character Moments, Possibly. Errors in Grammar and Spelling, Perhaps More. Cursing. Long Paragraphs. Mainly Action Filled. Lack of Dialogue. PewDiePie Reference in Here, Due to My Following His Gameplay Somewhat. Short Chapter, I Guess. Might Be A Bit Iffy, So I Apologize For That (Been Slightly Uninspired To Write Anything So If This Is Really Bad, You Know Why).
> 
> Originally, this chapter was supposed to contain the fight inside the school but that'll be combined into the next chapter, making the next chapter quite a long one so it'll be a long while before that one is published. Most likely a few months or so, like usual by this point cause my other fanfictions and my book cause me to somewhat forget about this one for a while. Sorry. But hey, be ready for some fighting and some dialogue in that one cause it'll be quite even, I think, with that. Some original conversations may occur in that one, too. So, yay for the hype of the chapter that will be coming after this one someday in the future. :3

         _Joel followed Bill to the garage, having heard from Bill that the school is just on the other side of the house. Nathan followed behind the two of them as well, but paused before entering the garage, looking back to see if Ellie and Daniella were coming. Neither of them headed towards the garage, the two of them heading upstairs to gather any supplies that happened to be up there. Some items for making a health kit and Molotov were found inside one of the bedrooms. As Daniella was putting away the items, Ellie began speaking with her. "Do you have a minute?" she asked. Daniella looked over at her and nodded. "I... I just want to say, I'm sorry." Daniella looked at her, confused. "About Tess," Ellie clarified. Daniella made an 'o' with her mouth, sadness crossing her expression as she looked away. "That's it, I won't bring it up again."_

_"It's..." Daniella sighed and she half smiled as she looked at Ellie again. "Thank you, Ellie. You don't need to worry about me, though. Life goes on. She's in a much better place. I'm... I'm glad she doesn't have to deal with this shit anymore." She was looking on the bright side of what happened to her good friend. "Come on. Everyone's waiting for us." After giving Ellie a short one-armed hug, Daniella headed downstairs with Ellie following behind her, the two of them heading to the garage where Joel, Nathan, and Bill were waiting..._

        Upon entering the garage where Nathan, Joel, and Bill were located, Daniella immediately grabbed ahold of three arrows that she spotted sitting on some shelves nearby, quickly adding that to the arrows that she had already collected by this point in time; she had plenty enough arrows to last a while and she definitely planned to use them for some stealth kills sooner or later. Daniella and Ellie approached the men together after that, both of them standing near the guys as the three men worked together to open the garage door. One by one, they headed out of the garage, Nathan closing the garage door behind them so that they wouldn't possibly be followed by any Infected unexpectedly. They piled up behind a vehicle, hiding behind it (and beside it) as a group. In the not so far distance ahead, the high school could be seen. Their goal was just inside the garage, they were almost there. They were almost at the battery.

        Unfortunately for them, getting into the school's garage wasn't going to be a very easy thing to accomplish. In the area around the building were Runners, six in total from what they could see and hear at that moment; it was likely that there were some hidden nearby, somewhere. It was really hard to pinpoint most of the locations of the Runners they were aware of because of the abandoned cars that were within the area, but as the group studied their location, it became apparent that all the known Runners were roaming around the area aimlessly as most came into their line of vision before some disappeared behind various different vehicles. Daniella pulled out an arrow and her bow, aiming the arrow at the Infected Runner that was closest to them; the Runner was dead ahead, wandering around two different broken down cars. She fired the arrow and got extremely lucky, the arrow hitting and killing the Infected Runner, despite the distance it was from them (it hadn't exactly been close by, so it was a lucky shot).

        With one Runner down, the group began to maneuver away from the car they were hidden behind and they started making their way towards the right, moving to hide behind a convenient, and short, brick wall that they all could hide behind alongside one another, which was just as convenient. As soon as they were all hidden from sight, a Runner wandered in front of their location before it soon started backtracking to where it came, letting out the usual moans and groans as it went. With another arrow, Daniella quickly removed herself from her crouching position and she shot at the Runner, killing it instantly just like the last one. As soon as the Infected Runner dropped dead to the ground, Nathan started speaking. "You know, it honestly sounds like they are constantly having orgasms," he whispered.

        Bill rolled his eyes in annoyance, Joel did the same whilst looking disturbed by the statement, and Ellie just appeared to be slightly amused by the random comment. Daniella, however, made a face as she crouched back down, looking at him strangely. "Dude... Babe, that's..." She sighed. "Okay, it's kinda true, but it's still very disturbing that you mentioned that out loud whilst my father is right there beside you. Please try to keep those comments to yourself from now on," she whispered to him, blushing slightly from embarrassment of having a weird lover. Nathan uttered an apology to everyone shortly after the little scolding he had gotten.

        With four Runners remaining, the group split up to take out those that remained (as far as they were aware). Joel and Bill continued towards the right, heading to the two Runners that were remaining over there by some more vehicles. Daniella and Nathan maneuvered over the short wall (with Ellie following behind them), moving forward towards where the other remaining Runners were in the field and parking lot of abandoned cares. Whilst Joel and Bill were able to handle their two Infected Runners without being seen as they killed them, Daniella and Nathan weren't as perfect in succeeding with stealth kills; Nathan made the mistake of moving too loudly, which alerted the Runner that he was trying to sneak up on and the Runner alerted not only the other remaining Runner, but a small group of Runners were alerted into the area as well. In a panic, everyone started pulling out their weapons and backtracking to attempt regrouping as the Infected came swarming in. Amongst said panic, Nathan succeeded in doing something right when he randomly tossed a nail bomb that he pulled out, killing most of the Infected that had swarmed into the area (whilst also nearly causing himself, Daniella, and Ellie to be impaled by the nails, too), leaving just four Runners to deal with. With everyone grouping back together amongst the chaos, the remaining Runners were immediately gunned down by the five human survivors with little ammo wasted.

        "Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be," Bill suddenly commented as the tension died down from the sudden battle. "They must be holed up somewhere else."

        Daniella scoffed in disbelief. "Holed up somewhere else, my ass. Did you not see how quickly those Runners came when Nathan accidentally fucked up? No offense, Nate, but walk a little quieter next time instead of trying to rush things." Nathan pouted when he was called out and he glared back at Joel when Joel started glaring at him for the mistake (that could've been fatal). "It ain't just somewhere else, it's somewhere  _nearby_. More could be on the way here right now after all that shooting and yelling." They needed to get a move on, pronto. "And that wasn't even remotely easy. Hell, we aren't out of the fire just yet so hold off on your  _that was easier than I thought_  comments until we finish this."

        Bill opened his mouth to make a remark back, but Joel interrupted him by agreeing with Daniella that they were wasting the little time they had left before more Infected showed up. Letting out an annoyed grunt, Bill started leading the way towards the school, the group of them jogging between the two buses. They jogged alongside a fence until they reached a bus that had crashed into it, a ladder sitting on top of the bus conveniently. Ellie was the first one to spot it whilst everyone else had looked around the area for another opening in the fence. "Someone left a ladder on the bus. Here, get me up there and I'll drop it to you," she suggested, turning towards everyone.

        "I've got ya, Ells," Nathan commented as he reached her before anyone else, crouching down behind the bus and getting into a position to give her a boost upwards. After smiling at the nickname given to her and after hopping up to grab the edge of the bus, Ellie climbed up and she jogged over to the ladder, placing it down soon afterwards. Bill went up first, followed by Daniella, then Joel, and lastly Nathan. Soon, the five of them dropped down on the other side of the bus and fence. However, within seconds of them being closer to their goal, a large group of Infected Runners and Clickers appeared in the area that they just exited from. The Runners were beginning to push against the fence as some Clickers were attempting to climb the fence. "Shit, we're almost outta time!" Nathan exclaimed as he aimed his weapon towards the Infected. "Hurry the fuck up, Bill! What's the fucking plan?!"

        "We're gonna get in quick. We're gonna get the battery. We're gonna get the hell outta here," Bill stated, speaking step by step of what he wanted them to get done; although, he was mostly just saying it aloud to himself since he had the bad habit of speaking to himself. He ran to the doors of the school garage, but he couldn't open them up to get inside. He tried to hit against the door, to maybe knock something loose or knock something back so the door would open up, but it still didn't budge. "The door's locked!" he exclaimed as he realized he never would've been able to open the door. He wasn't strong like the Infected that were closing in on them.

        "Are you shitting me right now, Bill?!" Daniella exclaimed. "That wasn't mentioned in your master plan!"  _Well, shit happens_ was the response she got back from him. She pulled her weapon out again and she began firing at the Infected that managed to get over to them already, Joel and Ellie helping her out with that. Nathan, on the other hand, was putting his weapon down as he looked around the area, looking for another way for them to go. "Find another way in! There's too many of them!" Daniella yelled, speaking to whomever would listen.

        Nathan sprinted around the building, the first person to be on the move with finding another way into the high school. Immediately, he spotted a window that they could go through, if it would open up. He climbed onto the low equipment that was placed next to a dumpster and by the window. He interacted with the window, sliding it open with a little difficulty. "Over here! Hurry!" he yelled to the others. Bill came around the corner first, being the first one to go to the window and enter it, much to Nathan's displeasure. Next came Ellie, then Daniella, and lastly Joel. Nathan climbed inside after all of them were inside, but before he could fully enter the garage, an Infected Clicker rounded the corner of the building and it grabbed onto him. "Shit!" He elbowed the thing in the face to prevent it from biting him whilst putting himself at risk of being scratched instead and it grabbed onto his leg, it not giving up on trying to kill him. Daniella and Ellie worked together to pry Nathan from the Clicker, and Bill walked over, shooting the Clicker in the face with his shotgun. Quickly, Ellie closed the window as Daniella helped Nathan off the floor (he fell into the garage since he was dragged inside). "That was fucking close, huh?" he asked for no apparent reason.

        "Yeah, no shit," Daniella breathed out, giving him a quick hug. She was getting a bit tired of him being the last one in line, even though that hadn't happened too many times. He could've died, though. But then again, anyone within their group could've died if they had been in his place. Luckily, he had been saved by them before it was too late. Daniella, and Joel, had already lost Tess because of the Infected. Daniella didn't wish to lose Nathan to them, too.

        "Bill, make it fast!" Joel instructed, keeping his eyes on the window that they just came through, seeing a few Infected slowly piling up there as they tried to get in. Sudden banging on the door that they couldn't get through caught his attention instead and he ran to it, Daniella sprinting towards the door as well. Together, they pushed some equipment in front of the door but they all knew that it wouldn't hold for long with all the Infected hitting at the door. "Bill, please tell me you're done!"

        Bill was trying to pop the hood of the military truck and when he finally managed to do such, there was no battery inside the vehicle. It was gone, almost like it never even existed. Someone had already taken it before they could. But who? "It's empty. It's fucking empty!" Joel, Nathan, and Daniella reacted in the same way, all of them exclaiming with ' _What?!'_. But as quickly as their surprise and anger came, it quickly left and all they cared about was just getting the hell outta there, something that Ellie had been worrying about in her head the whole time.

        "Bill, where to?" Joel asked quickly, knowing their time was just about up. Daniella and Ellie were holding the equipment against the door now, giving their group more time but not much. Nathan was attempting to help them, but he was very prepared to run once they knew where to head off to.

        "Anywhere but here!" Bill exclaimed, not knowing where the hell to go except forward into the building, which is exactly where he headed. Without much of a choice, the others went after him and as the Infected burst through the garage door, the group was slamming shut the doors of the school behind them as they entered the hallways, keeping the Infected from getting them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if it seems like I don't know what the hell I'm doing or if it seems like I'm rushing through these chapters as they go by. I'm seriously trying my best but it's quite difficult for me to make fanfics of video games because I'm use to doing anime and tv show fanfics. I won't blame you if you decide to quit reading. It's been, like, two years since I started it, maybe? Lord. DX

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please share your thoughts with me by commenting!


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